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Dean Wade has been impressed by the basketball IQ of his new Philadelphia 76ers teammates, particularly Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, LeBron James and Jaylen Brown.
Wade joined Philadelphia this offseason on a four-year, $38.7 million contract after spending the first seven seasons of his NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is now part of a 76ers team that added Brown and James to a core that already featured Maxey and Embiid.
“It is completely different,” Wade said of playing alongside players he previously faced as opponents, according to HoopsHype. “You know their tendencies playing against them, but when you are on the same team, you can pick their brain.”
Wade said the way Philadelphia’s stars process the game has stood out most to him.
“My biggest thing is the way they think the game is the most impressive thing,” he said. “Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, everyone, the way they think the game is at such a high level.”
The forward admitted that joining the 76ers has changed his perspective on how much there is to learn, even after spending years in the NBA.
“As an NBA player, you think you know the game well, and then you get on a team like this and it is night and day,” Wade said.
Wade specifically pointed to the way his new teammates approach different aspects of the game, including offensive plays, defensive schemes and rotations.
“You see the way they think about plays, think about defenses, the way they think about rotations,” he said. “It is similar to some things I thought, but they go a little more in-depth and it is super impressive.”
Wade brings seven years of NBA experience to Philadelphia and has established himself as a floor-spacing frontcourt player. In 59 games for Cleveland last season, he averaged 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 22.3 minutes per game while shooting 36.2% from three-point range.
His role with the 76ers will place him alongside four players with extensive experience operating in high-level offensive environments. Maxey averaged 28.3 points and 6.6 assists in 70 games last season, while Embiid averaged 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 38 appearances.
The 76ers will begin the regular season at home against the New York Knicks on October 20.
