LeBron James vs. Dwyane Wade: Comparing Their Strengths and Weaknesses

Arguably the two best basketball players currently playing in the NBA have somehow made it on to the same team by the divine acts of Pat Riley and the two players also being good friends.

Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, along with Chris Bosh, have teamed up on the Miami Heat for the purpose to having the best chance to win an NBA title and only came two games away in their first year together from succeeding. Injuries to their two best bench players and the disappearance of one of these elite players were primary reasons to the Heat's defeat, but it was still an impressive run for a team that most analysts had bowing out in the semifinals.

Deciding who is the better player between these two is one of the most difficult decisions you could possibly make when talking basketball because they both share similar styles of play and do it to the best of their abilities. You could give the nod to James because of his athleticism, but you could also give it to Wade because he's the better pound-for-pound athlete.

It's a tough decision to make, and we're not going to do it here. Instead, we'll compare these two and their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to several aspects of the game, and then you the reader can decide for yourself who the better player is.

Slash and Dash

Dwyane Wade: Strength

The bread and butter of his game since the 2008-09 campaign, Wade has heavily relied on his slashing and driving ability over the past few seasons ever since recovering from the myriad of injuries that he suffered from for the duration of the first half of his career. Knee and shoulder surgeries forced him to play in only 102 combined games in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons, and it caused a lot of wear and tear on his body that paid off for not much more other than an average campaign and the worst season in Miami Heat history.

Since recovering from numerous surgeries and getting in a lot of strength and conditioning training, Wade has been at the top of his game when it comes to driving. He's stronger, faster and more cunning than ever, and it has enabled him to once again become known as one of the league's best, if not the best, top finishers around the rim.

At only 6'4", it takes a lot more than just being physical to score near the rim against front court players that out-weigh by 50 pounds or more. Wade is able to score at such an efficient rate because he is so deceptive at the perimeter to start the drive and around the rim when he finishes. He utilizes his agility to beat the initial defender(s) at the top of the perimeter and then will either use a series of moves and his agility to beat the slower power forwards and centers or just out muscle defenders with his unmatched strength.

LeBron James: Strength

The league's most athletic player by far, LeBron James is quite possibly the most lethal finisher around the rim in the league. At 6'8" and rumored to weigh in at 275 pounds, James is a handful to deal with when attempting to contain his drive, and it's nearly impossible to deter him without fouling when he does have momentum and is streaking to the rim.

Unlike Wade, who will sometimes use finesse to get his points around the basket, James is all about using the gifts that God gave him in his strength and athleticism. He recognizes that he's the strongest small forward on the court, and he will make sure to let his matchup know by consistently driving over the duration of the game so that defenses have to switch their assignments up just to contain the strength of James.

He's the last player in the league you want to see barreling down at you on a fast break, and he's made a living out of driving since joining the league as an 18-year-old straight out of high school in 2003. Until his athleticism wears down, James is going to continue exploiting the physical advantages he has by constantly driving against slower or weaker defenders.

Perimeter Game

Dwyane Wade: Weakness

Before the myriad of injuries he suffered to all the important parts of his body related to jump shooting, Dwyane Wade used to be recognized as one of the games most lethal bank shot artists as well as being an overall quality jump shooter all together.

He has never seen himself as a quality shooter from beyond the arc, and it shows in his statistics where his career high shooting from beyond the arc is at 32 percent, but he was at least a solid and stable threat from the mid-range, where he was lethal from within 20 feet.

Suffering a separated shoulder that came after a number of other injuries to his shoulder, as well as suffering from "jumpers knee," has caused Wade's perimeter game to decline, however, and it shows today, as he is now more restricted to driving.

It's not to say that Wade's mid-range game has completely fallen off; it's just that it has become a weaker part of his game when compared to the other ways he involves himself in the offense. Wade can still hit the 15-20 footer from time to time and has actually appeared to improve his range, and he should continue to improve and work on his jumper so that he can rely on it when he begins to show his age.

LeBron James: Weakness, but not as weak as you think

I have always perceived LeBron James to be an extremely underrated jump shooter, and that's mostly because critics will severely overrate how ineffective he can be at times when shooting from the perimeter. At only 26 years old, James has come a long way, and it shows in his jumper, which was surprisingly consistent for the majority of his first season with the Heat. With defenses loading up in the paint, James was able to practice his jumper, and he was able to show some consistency in it.

The problem with James and his perimeter game is that he sometimes becomes too reliant on it as opposed to relying on his stronger suit, which is slashing. When James hits a few consecutive jumpers, he'll begin to assume that this is how it's going to be the rest of the game, and he'll then limit himself to playing along the perimeter, which causes the offense to go stagnant and allows the defense to catch its breath.

A 33 percent shooter for his career from deep, James can be streaky from beyond the arc and with his shot overall. What we must remember, though, is that James is an extremely durable player and won't get injured, and that he's also 26 years old and still has plenty of time to improve on his overall perimeter game as opposed to Wade, who will soon be 30.

Leadership Skills

Dwyane Wade: Strength

It was eight years ago when Dwyane Wade first proved to us just how capable of a leader he was. In the first NBA postseason game of his soon to be legendary career, Wade made a name for himself by getting the nod to take the final shot in a tied game against the New Orleans Hornets. It was a gutsy move by then coach Stan Van Gundy, and it paid off because he knew even then that Wade was a born leader and emitted confidence wherever he went.

Wade would hit the shot with 1.3 seconds left to give the Heat the lead and the eventual win, and it's been history ever since. In only his second year in the league, he would help lead a team with a Hall of Fame bound center in Shaquille O'Neal to the Conference Finals and would then lead a Heat team with the likes of veterans in O'Neal, Gary Payton, Jason Williams and Antoine Walker to an NBA championship.

He is a natural born leader, and it shows every time the ball is in his hands and when the game is on the line. Wade has hit a number of crucial game-winners over the course of his career and has showed that he has fearless and never even considers the thought of the shot not going in. He is all about taking in the glory and only looks to make it, and that's what distinguishes him from every other NBA player as the league's top player.

LeBron James: Strength...sort of

I know I'm going to hear all about how LeBron James has no leadership skills from the incessant critics, but you have to give some credit to James as a leader if you call yourself someone with any bit of knowledge of the NBA. We know that James had a horrid and abysmal NBA Finals and it was possibly the worst post season series of his career, but it shouldn't take away from the seven years worth of leadership skills that he exhibited to everyone while in Cleveland and in the Eastern Conference playoffs with Miami.

Never given the opportunity to play with a veteran superstar, or any superstar for that matter, in Cleveland, James was forced to carry the offensive and defensive load for his teammates game in and game out over the course of 82 games and the postseason. He led two dismal Cavalier teams to over 60 wins for two consecutive seasons and led an even worse squad to the NBA Finals in 2007.

James may not hit the game winners at the buzzer, but he's the reason why the team even gets to that point. He has led some of the worst supporting casts to heights that they had no business being in, and he deserves credit for it. He's a fantastic offensive facilitator and turned players like Mo Williams into All-Stars, while making Antawn Jamison and Shaquille O'Neal look a lot younger than they appear to be.

Overall Defense

Dwyane Wade: Strength

A severely underrated defender that has only been named to three All-Defensive Second Teams and no All-Defensive First Teams, Dwyane Wade is one of the league's top perimeter defenders and is lock down when pitted against a match-up that requires him to play on another level. He has the strength and speed to match up with any type of offensive threat and is capable of defending any guard or small forwards.

Wade is a stellar individual defender, but he's probably the league's top team defender. What makes Wade stand out among other elite defenders is his keen ability to anticipate passes and the tendencies of his opponents. He recognizes a specific player's strong suit, and he will neutralize it by forcing that player into shots that they're not comfortable taking. Rather than allowing his assignment to get where he wants to be and then playing defense, Wade will just prohibit that player from getting to where he wants to be in the first place.

He can gamble a little too much and can sag off of his defender as a means to double team and get a steal, but overall, he's a terrific all-around defender and can guard anyone from the one to three.

Perhaps his top specialty would be his shot blocking ability. As I stated before, when it comes to being a quality leader, he's fearless, and that shows in his defense when he attempts to block the shots of players that have as much as six inches on him. Wade can straight-up block the shot of any guard and has become notorious for sending back the shot attempts of seven-footers.

LeBron James: Strength

Once again relying on his athleticism to make himself a better player, LeBron James will use his size and strength to make his presence felt on the defensive end. He's one of the most multi-dimensional defenders in the league capable of defending the smallest point guard and even power forwards because of the perfect blend that he has between his agility and strength.

He put that on full display in the past Eastern Conference, when he was given the assignment of defending the reigning MVP in point guard Derrick Rose. Despite being one of the quickest players in the NBA and possessing possibly the game's deadliest crossover, James was able to keep Rose near the perimeter every time he defended him and limited the player that had averaged 25 points per game during the regular season to 1 of 15 shooting.

The scariest part of James' defensive skills would have to be his speed, as he's capable of clearing an entire half of the court to intercept a pass and then beginning a one-man fast break. His speed also allows him to complete his famed chase down blocks, where he creeps up from behind to block the shot of a player intending to drop in a lay up.

With James breathing down your back, it causes these players leading the fast break to think twice about going in soft to the basket.

Mentality

Dwyane Wade: Strength

Sports has always been played by the world's greatest athletes. The physical specimens at the peak of their athleticism use sports as a means to showcase their greatest talents and to compete against others to prove to the world that they're the superior athlete with the superior physicality. This works well in events such as the Olympics, where individual talent is applauded, but not in team sports like basketball, where being a top physical player is only half the game.

Dwyane Wade carries both aspects as a top-tier physical player and mental player. Any player in any team sport will tell you that the mental aspect of the game is just as important as the physical portion, and it is the true champions of sports that were able to use the mental aspect of their game to their advantage over their opponent.

Wade has proven to us time and time again how stellar of an all-around athlete he can be when the game is on the line and when using the mental part of your game is a necessity to come out victorious. He's smart enough on defense to know his opponents' tendencies and to time blocked shots and is just as wise on the other end on how to break apart a defense and when to give up the shot or take it.

LeBron James: Weakness

We recognize how much of a top tier physical specimen LeBron James is and we know how gifted of an athlete he is. I am in no way attempting to knock the mental part of James game, but rather giving the two-time MVP some constructive criticism on how he could improve this dire part of his game. It was obvious in the NBA Finals this past season, and in instances before, that James is the strongest mental player and will rely too heavily on the physical part of his game.

James is the type of player that will get frustrated very easily if things aren't going his way, say for instance if his jump shot isn't falling. Rather than finding another way to integrate himself into the game in a positive light, he will continue forcing the issue and will keep attempting to perfect the mistakes he is making in the middle of a game rather than looking to help out his team in a different way.

He's still a young player at 26 years old and was never given the gift of guidance by a veteran player or coach. Unlike Wade, who has been playing under the watchful eye of a guru like Pat Riley or veterans like Shaquille O'Neal and Gary Payton, James has been on his own since joining the league and is the player he is today solely because of himself.

He'll take the 2011 Finals as a lesson learned and will move on. He's dealt with painful losses before, and he's shown how resilient he is. We should expect to see a tough mentality from James this upcoming season, especially after the verbal lashings he was forced to deal with for the duration of last season.

Pressure Situations

Dwyane Wade: Strength

Next to Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade is the best closer in the league, and he has many highlight reels to prove it.

I've stated before that Wade is the best player in the league, and I'll continue to back that claim up because of how Wade is able to lead a team through the first 47 minutes of the game and then take it to another level in the 48th. Wade has won an NBA title and has almost won three titles because of his ability to hit shots and make key defensive stands when his team needs him to.

What separates Wade from just about every other player in the NBA is his ability to take a game over and dictate the outcome. Take for instance his display of clutch shooting against the Detroit Pistons back in 2006, when Wade led the Heat back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter by scoring the final 17 points and then hitting the game winner in the final two seconds.

Wade recognizes that his team needs him, and he will more than likely respond to that cry for help by hitting clutch buckets, making the defensive stands necessary to keep the game close and keeping the opposition on their toes and making them the ones without confidence rather than himself when he's taking that final shot.

LeBron James: Strength

You saw LeBron James miss a few game winners in the 2010-11 regular season? I saw Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan miss quite a few game winners too, so what does that mean? You have to fail first to succeed, and James proved that to all of his critics in the Eastern Conference postseason when he went off against his biggest rivals and the two teams that had beat him over and over again throughout the regular season.

The perception that James can't hold his own in pressure situations is one of the NBA's greatest myths and deceptions because he has proven to us many times prior to this season that he can show up in the clutch. Have we all forgotten already that LeBron James scored 29 of his teams last 30 points in a postseason against the Detroit Pistons back in 2007?

James isn't on the level of responding to pressure situations than a Dwyane Wade caliber player, but he is a quality player when it come to making plays in the clutch. He led the Heat by the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls and was the main reason as to why the team even made it to the Finals, and he deserves some credit for it rather than just focusing on his failures.