Kevin Porter Jr. and Dylan Windler should have plenty of burn together for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Next season and feasibly going forward, I’d expect Kevin Porter Jr. and Dylan Windler to have a bunch of run on the floor together for the Cleveland Cavaliers. No, Windler did not play in 2019-20 due to complications involving a stress reaction in his left leg.
On the plus side, per a recent report from Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, Windler has the “green light” to be a participant in Cleveland’s in-market bubble workouts beginning next week. As KJG’s Grant Puskar demonstrated, that is an encouraging sign for the Cavs and Windler, too, and I’m hopeful that next season, Windler can be mostly healthy.
On the subject of Porter, who showed flashes of big-time potential for the Cavaliers, and had 10.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.9 steals per outing, he and Windler should project as a fun duo to look forward to in their minutes-share.
I could see KPJ being a sixth man key scorer and also playmaker, too, and Windler I could see getting at least a nice chunk of minutes as a rotational knockdown shooter, and seemingly more workload if he does well as the season progresses.
So while along the lines of a Porter-Windler duo, Porter could hit Windler a bunch via drive-and-kicks and/or ball-swings or cuts, but I could see Windler actually as being an occasional screener for Porter. One particular reason for that is what we’ll get into now.
A Porter-Windler pick-and-pop game could be very effective for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In instances without Darius Garland on the floor for Cleveland, in the case that the Cavs don’t draft a guard, I could definitely foresee Kevin Porter Jr. handling primary playmaking duties a fair amount. Moreover, in the pick-and-roll, him and Windler could be a promising tandem.
Now, I wouldn’t expect Windler to be screening for Porter a ton of the time in games, and not nearly as often as say, Larry Nance Jr. or realistically Andre Drummond, but in some instances, Windler could function as on-ball screener for KPJ.
Again, the key reason for that is Windler, who moves without the ball well and is also a good passer in his own right, could end up being quite the pick-and-pop threat after Porter deliveries.
Porter, who showed impressive passing feel as a rookie, and even more so as he was getting more run, can create a considerable amount of space on-ball.
In the pick-and-roll next season, even with Windler showcasing at Belmont that he was a knockdown shooter, I’d imagine that opponents guarding screeners for Porter will hedge to help for a few dribbles. That’d be so Porter doesn’t end up getting an angle to get downhill, where he’s so hard to account for.
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Considering that, I’d expect Windler to have his share of looks with his range and quick release via pick-and-pops after passes from KPJ from three-point range, where Windler I’d think could knock those down at a high clip.
Windler hit 40.6 percent of his 534 three-point attempts in a four-year collegiate career at Belmont, and the 6-foot-6 former Bruin again has a quick release with really deep range.
At times in games, I’d think a Porter feed to Windler via pick-and-pop could be particularly fruitful for the Cleveland Cavaliers, again.
Windler is a highly capable shooter off of movement, and in this type of scenario, it could be a way to get the two a well-established chemistry as a duo in stretches for the Cavs aside from drive-and-kicks/driving feeds to a cutting look.
From there, if that ends up being very effective, which I believe it can be, Porter could take advantage of Windler’s man sticking to him still, and look to get downhill for a shot or dump-off/lob, or look for a floater if the floor is properly spaced.
Additionally, in some instances if Porter and Dylan Windler’s defenders switch, if the player switched on to Windler closes out hard sensing a KPJ dish, Windler can make a quick cut and get into the lane and look for a floater/pull-up himself, or perhaps look for a lob pass or a dish to the corner.
To reiterate, I’m not suggesting this duo would have a ton of pick-and-roll possessions, but in some instances in games, a KPJ-Windler pick-and-pop game could be very effective for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Porter is a willing and capable passer and is a key driving threat, and Windler could be a heck of a shooter for the Cavs that doesn’t need much time to get his shots off.
So when factoring in that, and with Winder being able to take advantage as a cutter as a counter on occasion, I’d think this suggestion could create plenty of easy offense for the Cavs when Porter and Windler are on the floor together.