NBA.com: Dwyane Wade Rookie Anthology Body

“The fact that he developed so quickly in his confidence level and maturity, it sort of blew my mind. I’ve never had a player I’ve ever drafted that was as good as Dwyane is, other than when Earvin [Magic Johnson] came in the first year.”
– HEAT President Pat Riley on Dwyane Wade

Indeed, the rise has been meteoric. From unheralded draft pick to Olympic “Dream Team” member, HEAT rookie Dwyane Wade’s ascent has been every bit as breathtaking and gravity-defying as one of his breakaway dunks. In the wake of his scorching playoff performance and subsequent selection to this summer’s U.S. Olympic Basketball Team, it’s easy to forget where the 22-year-old Wade was just six months ago. And when you do look back on the 6-4, 212-pound guard’s progression this season, you realize that it virtually mirrored the improvement of his team. The following is a chronology of Wade’s stellar first season with the HEAT, viewed in segments of roughly 20 games in the regular season and 13 playoff games:

Part 1: Oct. 28 – Dec. 6, 2003:
Installed as the HEAT’s starting point guard after playing at the shooting guard spot for most of his life, Wade averaged 14.1 points and 4.2 assists over the HEAT’s first 20 games.

Part 2: Dec. 9, 2003 – Jan. 16, 2004:
Wade began to blossom during the HEAT’s second 20-game stretch, ripping off a stretch of six games from Dec. 14 through Dec. 23 that saw him average 25.2 points and lead the team in scoring in each game.

Part 3: Jan. 18 – Feb. 29, 2004:
Wade averaged 17.9 points and 4.2 assists in the 13 games he appeared in, and led the HEAT to four straight wins from Feb. 11 through Feb. 21 by averaging 27.0 points.

Part 4: Mar. 2 – April 14, 2004:
Wade’s aggressive style of play had again led to another injury, this time a bone bruise in his right foot. But after missing the first three games of the season’s stretch run, Wade stayed healthy and helped propel the HEAT to an improbable No. 4 playoff seed.

Part 5: 2004 NBA Playoffs:
Finally fully healthy, Wade continued his dramatic maturation, leading the HEAT deep into the second round of the 2004 NBA Playoffs.