Cavs: The time is now for Dylan Windler to show his value to the team

The Cleveland Cavaliers are 5-4 to start the season, just as everyone predicted. The biggest thing for the team in my eyes has been the ability to be competitive against those mid-tier/top-tier teams.

People questioned Lauri Markkanen’s fit at the small forward position and so far, it’s working. People questioned Kevin Love coming off the bench and so far, he’s accepting that role. The offense still has its flaws and the defense can be questionable at times but once again, it’s working. Fighting through this grueling stretch, the team has shown resilience and continues to display high potential.

Now, the Cavaliers will have to fight through another obstacle. Over the last couple of days, the team has lost both Kevin Love and Lauri Markkanen because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols, and we’ll have to see on their returns. Both could miss several games to come still, depending on if they have symptoms/are able to pass consecutive negative tests 24 hours apart.

On the plus side, the team’s players are reportedly 100 percent vaccinated, which is encouraging. But either way, for now, Cleveland has decisions to make when it comes to their rotation.

This seems like the perfect opportunity to see what the Cavs have in Dylan Windler.

Dylan Windler‘s start to his career has been discussed multiple times. A sharpshooter coming out of Belmont, Windler hasn’t been able to stay healthy for extended periods due to unlucky injuries. Because of these injuries, he hasn’t been able to establish a consistent role for himself and has registered multiple DNPs in a row throughout his career as a result.

There have been some bright spots, however. Last season Windler had shot nine-of-nine from three during a two-game stretch but his consistency from three wasn’t there and ultimately he was shut down. Questions about his future with the team arose but little changes to the wing position meant that he had to get opportunities at some point.

Windler would start this season sidelined because of a hip injury, which was less than ideal, and once he got healthy, he only received garbage time minutes. Considering what he provides as a shooter, it was weird to see the Cavaliers not give him a chance.

Once again, some, including myself, started to wonder what his role would be moving forward.

Then, the Cavaliers made the decision to exercise his fourth-year contract option. Unless he is traded or released, this means Windler will at least spend the rest of this season and as of now, next season on the roster.

Now with Love and Markkanen set to be away from the team for some bit it seems, it’s Windler’s chance to fight for a role on the team.

His name was called upon early in Wednesday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers and Windler answered the bell. Windler knocked down three triples in his first 12 minutes of play last night, helping the Cavs spark a run and ultimately gain a lead that they wouldn’t lose.

A bigger point that can be made from this game is Windler continuing to stay ready though he was receiving little to no minutes early on in the year. This is a point that he touched on in a halftime interview with Bally Sports Cleveland sideline reporter Angel Gray and is something that a team should love to see from a player.

The biggest thing for Windler moving forward is to stay healthy and continue to produce when he is called upon. His skill set is unique on this team and it’s up to the coaching staff to also put him in the best position to succeed.

The hope is that Wednesday night was just a sample of what he can do when given an opportunity and that he can carve out a steady role moving forward.