Cavs should have trust in Dean Wade from rotational standpoint

Last season, Dean Wade was a bright spot for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and after being a two-way contributor as an undrafted rookie in 2019-20, when he played mostly with Cleveland’s G League affiliate, the Canton Charge (now Cleveland Charge) he got his chance in 2020-21.

Sure, injuries to the likes of Kevin Love and Larry Nance Jr. played into it, but Wade did a nice job in his rotational minutes.

He had 6.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per outing in 63 appearances, and I thought was productive defensively for the most part. Along with that, Wade looked to be a capable catch-and-shoot player, as he hit a respectable 36.6 percent of his 3.4 three-point shot attempts per outing.

His play during last season made it understandable that Cleveland previously signed Wade to what was a multi-year essentially minimum, albeit non-guaranteed deal from there for future years last offseason.

Wade again did quality defensive work, typically, and at least from a positional sense, was usually in the right spots with his team defense. His 6.4 rebounds per-36 minutes was decent, too.

And as we previously touched on, he did look to be a viable catch-and-shoot player for predominantly a rotational big, which was nice to see last season.

Generally speaking, the Cavaliers and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff/the coaching staff should feel comfortable putting Wade in there for spurts/at times stretches in games next season/perhaps onward.

The Cavs should have trust in Wade from a rotational standpoint.

While the Cavs could seemingly select Evan Mobley in the upcoming draft, I’d still think that Wade could be a player that’s pretty regularly in the rotation next season, based on his effectiveness in spurts/stretches in 2020-21.

Wade fits well with a variety of players, and seemed to develop solid chemistry with the likes of Darius Garland, Collin Sexton and Isaac Okoro, for instance, in rotational playing time last season. And next season, whether or not Sexton is potentially dealt, factoring in trade rumors, I’d think that Bickerstaff/the Cavs coaching staff should trust Wade in there for stretches once again.

He’s a viable off-ball contributor, heady cutter, highly capable finisher on the interior thanks to his touch/athleticism/timing, and whether or not Love could potentially be traded at some point, Wade could fit in well alongside Allen/maybe Mobley for spurts.

Wade’s catch-and-shoot acumen, transition/secondary transition feel and also ability to contain drivers and rebound defensively should help his case for rotational minutes next season once again. Those sort of qualities can make him viable as an occasional jumbo 3 even, perhaps in some lineups with Isaiah Hartenstein, if he’s back, in there at the 5 some, too.

Now, Wade could potentially be waived before next season with his deal non-guaranteed, and I could be wrong.

But with how comfortable he seemed to be as last season wore on and with him being in off the bench regularly, I’d think that likely aided his case for 2021-22 from a rotational perspective, and that Cleveland should have trust in him in spurts/stretches next year.

Granted, he wouldn’t likely be an every game-type contributor, however, I’d still expect him to get his share of meaningful PT still pretty often, with how Wade is a legitimate stretch big at 6-foot-10 and can function in a variety of frontcourt pairings. He meshes seamlessly with a number of guard/wings, too.

So, in a general sense, the Cavaliers should trust Wade to be in there to contribute in stretches, based on what he demonstrated in 2020-21. His comfortability and confidence growing as last season wore on was very encouraging for his outlook.