#1: Windler projects as a sharpshooter for the Cleveland Cavaliers
The 6-foot-6 Windler projects as a sharpshooter for the Cavaliers, and while it’s tough to say whether or not he’ll eventually be able to start feasibly at some point next season, perhaps in overtaking Cedi Osman at the 3, Windler’s shooting should provide an added boost. The Cavs could realistically end up selecting a wing such as Auburn’s Isaac Okoro or Florida State’s Devin Vassell in the 2020 NBA Draft, also.
As a quick side note, though, an opposing NBA executive “strongly believes” the Cavs will end up trading their #5 overall pick in the draft, per a report from Sports Illustrated‘s Sam Amico.
Albeit I’d still expect the Cavaliers to end up picking at that spot, given the number of defensive prospects that could help impact winning. Furthermore, Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale had the right idea in terms of the Cavs keeping the pick.
Swinging back to Windler for Cleveland, though, he should still be able to provide an added boost as a bench contributor throughout games, at the 2 or 3. Windler hit 40.6 percent of his 534 career three-point attempts in a four-year career at Belmont, and his quick release, and touch on spot-ups, shots off movement and via pull-ups should help open up the floor more for Sexton in stretches the two are on the floor together for Cleveland.
For further context, Windler placed in the 94th percentile and 85th percentile in catch-and-shoot jumpers in the halfcourt in his senior season at Belmont, per Synergy Sports and h/t NBA.com. He had 21.3 points per game that campaign, too, and hit 42.9 percent of his 7.1 three-point attempts per game.
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The aforementioned Osman has developed into a highly productive catch-and-shoot threat, and hit 38.3 percent of his triple attempts in 2019-20, but Windler is frankly, a much more versatile shooter and Osman still had his times when he was somewhat streaky.
Granted, the three of Sexton, Windler and Osman should get some stretches together, I’d still think, anyhow.
In any case, with how Windler should project as a knockdown shooter in his minutes-share on the floor for the Cleveland Cavaliers, he should only open up more room for Sexton.
That’s with the attention of off-ball defenders and Windler’s feel for making shots off movement/his spot-up touch/quick release.
Windler should end up opening up the floor in a similar way to Kevin Love, who is Cleveland’s best off-the-catch shooter, but Windler is more capable off-the-bounce than Love is.
So Dylan Windler’s well-rounded perimeter/mid-range shooting polish should only make Sexton more lethal as a driver and pull-up threat. Sexton on the Cavs, aside from a tad bit with Kyle Korver very early on, has not played with nearly the wing shooter of a caliber of Windler yet.
With that in mind, first off, I firmly believe that will only make Sexton more dangerous on-ball as a scorer, along with feasibly Porter Jr., for example.
Secondly, we’ll hit on the other way Windler can make Sexton more lethal as a scorer off the ball in their stretches together on the floor.