Cavs: Why Dylan Windler can lead team in bench scoring in 2019-20

Though he is only a rookie, Cleveland Cavaliers wing Dylan Windler could have a big role in the team’s rotation, and here’s why he can potentially lead qualified Cavaliers in bench scoring in 2019-20.

In the 2019-20 season, it is very clear that the Cleveland Cavaliers have a player development focus, and asset accumulation also seems to be a part of their plans, too.

The team has five expiring players next season in Tristan Thompson, John Henson, Jordan Clarkson, Matthew Dellavedova and Brandon Knight (not including Cedi Osman, who could be a restricted free agent next offseason), and I would think that should lead to some trades as the season progresses.

In doing so, I would also think that should open up even more minutes for rookies Darius Garland, Dylan Windler and likely Kevin Porter Jr.; at least for now, though, it seems reasonable that Garland, who seems likely to start, and Windler, who would seem to be a player that gets good minutes-share off the bench, should get plenty of run early on in 2019-20 in head coach John Beilein and Cleveland’s coaching staff’s rotation.

Now as has been touched on a number of times here at KJG, though, it’s clear that the Cleveland Cavaliers need to play those expiring pieces some portion of next year, and that would likely trim the minutes-share for pieces such as Windler and Porter down, but given that he was a four-year college player at Belmont, and that the 22-year-old Windler would seem to be the only other natural 3 on Cleveland’s roster other than Cedi Osman, I would think he’d have to get a good share of minutes at that position pretty early on.

Unfortunately, though, given the Cavs’ love of three-guard lineups and with backcourt players needing to get minutes, anyway in a rebuilding situation, I’d think that Windler and Osman will have to play the 4 a good amount of the time, and again, with Cleveland’s roster construction and with a bunch of NBA teams not playing two interior big lineups, maybe that Windler and Osman at the 4 can work better than I’d initially think.

So again, though, Windler should have a big role I would imagine from the outset for Cleveland, and here’s why he could potentially lead qualified Cavaliers in bench scoring in 2019-20.