Cavs chances for Dylan Windler seem slim to none from here

When looking at next season, I wouldn’t venture to say that many Cleveland Cavaliers fans are at this point too high on Dylan Windler.

There’s been flashes from Windler in his time with the Cavaliers, in the two seasons he’s been at least partly available, and I’ll second that. Windler’s formal first season was wiped out because of complications involving a stress reaction in his leg, which was beyond deflating.

In his second year, and essentially rookie campaign in 2020-21, there were positive strides taken it appeared, to some extent. One of the primary issues were injuries again unfortunately, which limited his appearances to only 31 games, and Windler’s season was cut short due to ongoing knee issues, that eventually led to surgery to address tendinopathy concerns.

On the year, Windler had a few stretches of games where he tapped into his off-ball shooting potential, and his defense, rebounding and team feel were positives. Overall, he had 5.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per outing.

In his second year this season, it was a step back for him, though.

Some opportunities did open up for Windler in the earlier portion of the season, somewhat coincided with Lauri Markkanen missing time in November with a COVID-19 health and safety protocols absence, but Windler didn’t exactly light it up.

The defense, to some degree, and rebounding positioning and effort plays were, similarly to his first year playing, positives, however, the shooting and confidence were not there it didn’t seem. The flashes were not as prevalent in 2021-22 from Windler, and for much of the year, he wasn’t involved much in meaningful minutes.

He had 2.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9.2 minutes per contest, in what were 50 appearances. Windler spent his share of time with Cleveland’s G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge, also, and while that was likely a boost for him, it was frankly, somewhat disheartening. He did receive some meaningful playing time in the closing stretch of the regular season, but I thought that was odd.

When it comes to next season for Windler, I don’t foresee regular opportunities for him, despite some near the closing portion of last year.

Cavs chances for Windler next season would seem to be slim to none.

Simply put, over the course of his time with the Cavaliers, we haven’t seen Windler’s shooting be impactful nearly enough, and next season, with Collin Sexton likely back it seems, Markkanen, Isaac Okoro, and others involved, regular Windler minutes seem unlikely.

Windler shot 33.8 percent as a catch-and-guy from three in 2020-21, and this season, the three-point shooting, regardless of the minutes being obviously spotty, was only 30.0 percent.

It wasn’t necessarily all on Windler, but when opportunities did come for him, he just seemed to be too hesitant, and that’s looked to be a recurring issue in his time with the Cavs, when the looks have been there it appears.

Looking at next season, if Cedi Osman is back, and the same goes for Windler in this sense, as one of the two or potentially both could seemingly be potential trade candidates, in Windler’s case, minutes seem difficult to come by. Osman is a player that’s shown the capability to get hot off the bench, for one, and Sexton, Okoro and Markkanen will get their considerable share of minutes, one would think.

In relation to others in the mix, Lamar Stevens/Dean Wade made their respective cases this season, and Stevens, in particular, should be a rotational player to watch in the early portion of 2022-23, to me.

And last but not least, it would appear that the Cavaliers could add a wing with the 14th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, so that’d be another potential player that’d factor into possible Windler minutes.

The gist is, while there have been nice moments from Windler, he’s had issues with health, and last season/overall, with confidence it’s seemed when the chances have been there. The way things are shaking out, if Windler is with the Cavs, it’s tough to foresee legit minutes for him, and going forward, the chances just would look to be slim to none, from my perspective.

Maybe I’m wrong, but it’s hard to see Windler, who is due to make $4 million in 2022-23, getting a second contract from the Cavaliers. He’s currently set to be a restricted free agent after next season, however, the wing, who turns 26 in September, isn’t a dude I’d anticipate is extended a qualifying offer even then. Again, maybe it turns out I’m wrong.