Cavs: Ranking the 5 best 3-point shooters on the roster

Cavs: Ranking the 5 best 3-point shooters on the roster – Dylan Windler

On the surface, the early-career results for Dylan Windler have not been encouraging. The 26th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Windler has played just 31 games due to injuries. When he has played, he has taken a total of 77 3-pointers, hitting just 26 of them for a 33.8 percent rate.

To be pessimistic, Windler’s lack of athleticism and the way his body keeps breaking down both spell doom for him as an NBA contributor. He can’t get his shot off against NBA defenders who close out quickly, he lacks the juice to gain separation, and a few games of heavy minutes will send him to the injury report.

That outcome is certainly possible for Windler, but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. Both of his major injuries have been lower body, which allow him to begin training as a shooter again before he is able to run and cut. That means he won’t completely lose another offseason of development and preparation.

In college Windler was a knockdown shooter, hitting 40.6 percent of his college 3-pointers, including 42.0 percent of his 7.1 attempts per game as a senior at Belmont. He demonstrated an ability to come off of screens, catch and shoot the basketball, a vitally important skill for a wing shooter. He has good positioning, squares to the basket quickly, and has excellent form on the actual shot.

If Windler can get to a place where he is fully healthy, there is a clear spot on this team and likely even in the rotation for him. They don’t have a player like him on the roster, with wing size and legitimate floor-spacing ability. Windler can get there, and if he does he will be a key piece moving forward. If he can’t, the Cavs likely have to prioritize replacing him in the 2022 NBA Draft.