2 things Cavs fans should want to see from Dylan Windler in preseason

Seeing Dylan Windler play for the Cleveland Cavaliers in preseason action should be fun.

Dylan Windler is set to make his debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers this upcoming preseason, aside from him having a few appearances last season with Cleveland’s G League affiliate, the Canton Charge. After the Cavs selected him in the first round of the 2019 draft, he ended up missing all of last season due to injury.

Cleveland could use his scoring abilities right now and he should be able to help the team immediately.

Dylan was a prolific scorer in college at Belmont, and in his senior year in 2018-19, he averaged 21.3 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Along with that, he shot 42.9 percent from three-point range in his final season before being drafted in the first round.

So what should Cavs fans want to see from Windler in preseason, of which will begin on Saturday versus the Indiana Pacers, then?

We’ll hit on those two things here for him for the Cavs.

The first has to with the all-around sense.

#1: Showing versatility for the Cavs

Dylan Windler’s minutes could vary throughout the season. The Cavaliers already have multiple wings including Cedi Osman, Kevin Porter Jr., to some degree, and new first-round pick Isaac Okoro.

Granted, Windler, to go with Okoro, is reportedly in a 3-man competition for the starting 3 spot, per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, in training camp. Fedor also touched on how some within the Cavs organization believed near the midway point last season, Windler could’ve seemingly taken over that starting 3 role, but injury troubles prevented that.

In any case, if Windler can show he is capable of playing in multiple positions it would help him fit in with different lineups. Dylan could play shooting guard, small forward, or potentially even power forward with his rebounding capabilities/great basketball IQ/feel.

Windler’s shooting ability and off-ball movement make him an obvious fit as a shooting guard or small forward, but considering he had 10.8 rebounds per game as a senior at Belmont, and averaged 7.8 over four seasons, perhaps he could play at the power forward position at times. That’s especially alongside Okoro, who is bound to get plenty of minutes because of his defensive skills.

Dylan is much more than a sharpshooter. He is great at positioning himself with movement and cuts and can score in many ways. If this can translate to the pros, this versatility could help bring extra firepower off the bench and provide relief in games for the offense.

So how about the second thing fans should be wanting to see from Windler in preseason?

#2: Him shooting efficiently for the Cavs

Whether Dylan is off the bench or earns a starting job, efficiency is the most important asset for him to have. The starting lineup is set to have Sexton, Garland, Love, and Drummond starting game 1. Although, several opposing executives reportedly believe Drummond could perhaps be traded before the season opener, per Sam Amico of Forty Eight Minutes and OutKick.

But he’d still seem to be around for a chunk of next season, really; you can view more on the reported details involving those possibilites at this link, anyway.

The biggest question of the roster right now, realistically, is who is going to start at small forward? Fedor’s report, clearly confirms that.

In my eyes, Windler can earn this job. He may not be the favorite, but his ability to space the floor can open things up for a lineup that has two natural point guards starting, and a center like Drummond, still in the case he’s around, who is limited to scoring around the basket.

Windler could help space the floor in an offense that is very likely to feature a lot of pick-and-rolls still by shooting efficiently. His career average in college was 40.6 percent from deep, and once again, 42.9 percent in his final season.

This efficiency from deep would change the dynamic of this offense and help create balance to the roster, regardless of his role.

Dylan’s debut is one of the biggest things I look forward to seeing in this pre-season, as should be the case for Cavs fans in general.

If Windler can show versatility and shoot the ball efficiently in preseason, he should be a fun part of the offense going into the regular season.