How Dylan Windler can bolster Cavs’ bench production next season

Looking ahead to next season, Dylan Windler can definitely bolster the Cleveland Cavaliers’ bench production.

Last June, when the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Dylan Windler, a 6-foot-6 forward out of Belmont, with the 26th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, it looked as if the Cavaliers had added a solid piece to their young core.

However, Windler suffered a stress reaction in his left leg during workouts just before training camp, which delayed his debut with the Wine and Gold.

Windler appeared to be on track to return in early December, even playing in two games for the Canton Charge, Cleveland’s G-League affiliate. But Windler suffered a setback and ultimately was shut down for the season in mid-January, and even though the current season is suspended until further notice in order to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic, one would still assume Windler will be out until next season.

If all goes well, the Cavaliers will be essentially adding Windler’s skill set this offseason when teams are able to return to practice facilities, and he would be a promising young piece on a team currently in rebuild mode.

At this point, the future of the Cleveland Cavaliers beyond this season is not entirely clear. Yes, they have exciting young players in Collin Sexton and Kevin Porter Jr., and rookie guard Darius Garland has flashed his ability at times.

So, where would Windler fit in on this roster?

It would be safe to assume Windler would start in a bench role, as he is seen as a scorer who could provide the second unit with instant offense. In Windler’s final college game, which took place in the NCAA Tournament against Maryland, he scored 35 points (including shooting seven-of-14 from three-point range, as noted by ESPN) in a near upset. The highlights from this game show you just how lethal Windler can be on the offensive end.

Windler is excellent at coming off screens and hitting shots, and it does not take him much time to get his shot off, either.

Adding a shooter of Windler’s caliber (he connected on 42.9 percent of his three-point shots his senior season, per Sports Reference) to the second unit would be beneficial to either Garland or Porter Jr., assuming one of them is in the second unit as well.

The Cavaliers’ young guards have a knack of getting into the teeth of the defense and creating, and leading up to the season suspension, we were seeing more distribution from Collin Sexton, too. Moreover, Windler’s presence on the outside will make opposing teams pay if they choose to collapse on a penetrating guard and leave him open on the perimeter.

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But Windler is not just a spot-up shooter. Windler uses his long-range shotting ability as a decoy at times and gets easy baskets at the rim off of well-timed cuts, and he’s a capable pull-up shooter, too.

Windler can also potentially help as a ball-mover/secondary playmaker, as evidenced by him having 2.5 assists per game as a senior, despite playing 33.2 minutes per outing his final year at Belmont, and his feel in finding cutters stood out.

Another aspect of Windler’s game that would benefit the Cavaliers’ second unit in 2020-21 (or whenever next season eventually starts) is his superb ability to rebound the basketball. Winder finished his senior year with 10.8 rebounds per game (which was eighth in the NCAA), including 1.9 offensive rebounds per game, according to Sports Reference.

Windler’s ability to secure rebounds and push the pace off of misses will benefit the Cleveland Cavaliers’ bench as well. Seeing all Windler can do, you can see why general manager Koby Altman and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ front office were high on Windler, and selected him with the 26th pick in the first round.

Windler is more than just a shooter. Windler’s rebounding ability will help out a second-unit that does not have a rebounding skill set like the starting lineup, such as Kevin Love, Andre Drummond, who could seemingly opt into his $28.8 player option for next year, and even factoring in feasibly Larry Nance Jr. Along with that, Windler did average 1.4 steals per game as a senior.

Windler will enter next season at age 24 and will be quite old for a first-year player.

That being said, his overall skill set, along with his maturity, would be a great addition to the Cavaliers’ bench next season.