Position Battles: Dean Wade vs Lamar Stevens for Cavs’ backup wing
This season, two of the main players who logged minutes at small forward or power forward, both as starters and off the bench were Dean Wade and Lamar Stevens. Both are undrafted players who have earned quality minutes and a normal NBA contract from the Cleveland Cavaliers, and both have different qualities that they can bring to the Cavs’ roster. Wade is a floor-spacing big man who can provide perimeter shooting and offense to the Cavs’ rotation, while Stevens is a hard-nosed defender who has no fear when it comes to guarding the best the NBA has to offer.
The starting lineup should be as follows if the roster is healthy: Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro/Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. Kevin Love is currently slated as the current backup big man for the Cavaliers, and the Cavs will probably find a center in free agency or the draft. There are a few pros and cons for playing Wade, and there are also pros and cons for playing Stevens at the backup small forward position. Obviously, both can get playing time depending on who the opponent is, but for the sake of the article, I will assume Cleveland will be playing in a vacuum, only playing one of the two players.
Pros for Playing Wade
Obviously, Dean Wade is a solid floor spacer, shooting 35.9% from 3 on 2.8 attempts per night this season. He also shot 36.2% on catch-and-shoot 3’s, according to nba.com. From 25-29 feet out from the basket, he shot 40.5%, shooting 1.5 of those shots per night. In the 4th quarter, Wade shoots 40.0% from 3, showing he has a clutch factor in his shooting.
Wade also gives a bit of height, being 6“9. With three of Cleveland’s starters being 6“11 or taller (Lauri Markkanen, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen), a bit of height off the bench is normal. Kevin Love is only 6“8, so the extra height is definitely welcomed for J.B. Bickerstaff and company. Also, Wade has shown to be a solid defender, with opponents shooting 1.0% worse from the floor when Wade is on the floor, according to nba.com.
According to runpeat.com, Dean Wade is a bit above average when it comes to weight for power forwards, weighing in at 227 lbs, while the average power forward is around 215-220 lbs, so Wade should not easily be bullied around in the post all the time. This is also backed up by nba.com, which caught that opponents scored only 0.76 points per post-up possession, being in the 84.4th percentile. The Cavs’ opponents also scored on just 38% of these post-ups.