Retired Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade is now residing in California with his wife, actress Gabrielle Union. As a close friend of Los Angeles Lakers (and former Heat) forward LeBron James, Wade appears to be quite confident about the Lakers’ chances during the 2019-20 season.
Brandon Robinson of Heavy.com wrote about the Lakers’ dramatic new look during this past offseason, which has included hiring a new head coach in Frank Vogel. Given Wade’s stellar resume of three NBA titles and five finals appearances, he was asked by Robinson to assess the the makeup of the Lakers.
“The talent and the roster is great top to bottom,” Wade said. “It’s just going to take some time to get it together and get the continuity together.”
Wade’s preaching of patience stems largely from the presence of veterans like James, new addition Anthony Davis and guard Rajon Rondo. Establishing chemistry, especially between James and Davis, is an important facet that could end up paying massive dividends come playoff time.
“If they get it together obviously they’re going to be a very good team,” Wade told Robinson. “LeBron, Rondo and those guys, their veteran leadership is going to try and get that continuity together early on and try to get it together and going fast.”
Wade’s focus on the Lakers doesn’t mean that he’s cut his ties to the Heat. That’s especially true with the Heat having added another friend of Wade’s, Jimmy Butler to the roster.
However, the Heat’s potential path to a berth in the NBA Finals will provide a stiff challenge for the team, due to the number of quality teams in the Eastern Conference.
While the Lakers will also face a number of top teams in the Western Conference, the expected decline of the Golden State Warriors may offer a more wide open battle for conference supremacy.
