3 Cleveland Cavaliers players that need a bigger role next season

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Dean Wade, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by David Richard-USA TODAY Sports) /

Cavs player No. 2 needing a bigger role: Dean Wade

Wade was an unsung hero on the team. Wade was the guy that no one ever talked about but was one of the biggest factors in the team’s turnaround this season. Wade did all the dirty work on the defensive end. He was usually assigned to guard opponents’ teams best players like James Harden or Kevin Durant.

He might not be a scoring machine and many of his critics will point to that as being a reason to keep him off the floor, but the value of a player like Wade to any team can’t be overlooked. His numbers were virtually the same as his previous season. He averaged just over 19 minutes a game and had a 5.3 points per game scoring average. He played in only 51 games after suffering a season-ending partial meniscus tear, but is reportedly recovered and back to on-floor work.

He started 28 games and that was a nice increase for him. He likely won’t get starts next season unless his teammates like big men Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley or Lauri Markkanen get injured.

Where Wade has made the biggest difference for the team was his defense and all the little things, like tracking down a loose ball going out of bounds or hustling back in transition defense to not allow an easy basket by the opponent that made his contributions to the team the most valuable of any of the players this season. The team had a 6-11 record after Wade went down with his injury.

While I don’t see Wade getting more starts in games unless the other “Big 3” get injured he certainly deserves a more consistent amount of time on the court. If you look at his minutes this past season, they fluctuated more than any other player. He’d have a game or two of playing 30 minutes and then he’d only play five or 10 minutes the following game. That inconsistency in use by his head coach played a big part in the Cavaliers’ inability to be more consistent down the stretch.

Next season Wade needs to have those 20 to 25 minutes be more consistent. If that happens then it’d play a crucial role in the Cavaliers making the playoffs next season.