Cavs Player Grades: Dean Wade provides steady play in 2021-22

Taking a closer look at Wade’s overall 2021-22 play

Okay, so in regards to my overall grade for Wade in what was realistically his second season as a regular contributor with Cleveland, as Year 1 was mostly in the G League as a two-way player, we again saw his defense make a difference.

For Wade, that’s going to generally be what’s the most consistent part of his game, and with him being generally a competent defender against wings and more perimeter-laden 4s, that can clearly help the Cavaliers for stretches.

And as we hit on, Wade’s feel for diagnosing plays defensively off-ball is part of the reason why when he was in, the Cavaliers were better on the defensive end. Of course, some of that had to do with him playing stretches with both Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, in a decent chunk of minutes when Wade was filling in for Markkanen, for instance, as a starter.

On the flip side of things, Wade is a player that’s going to have ups and downs, regardless of the minutes-share, on the offensive end. It’s probably partly with how he’s utilized, but Wade does have some offensive limitations, which can negate him even in stretches with a size advantage.

Overall, though, I thought Wade did a solid job, all things considered, this season for Cleveland. There’s other guys involved, and in theory, it’s not a guarantee he’s back next season, with his deal again non-guaranteed, but with his emergence this last season and him having a good sense of his team-oriented play, I’d expect him to be back and potentially stick around in the near future.

Wade’s overall 2021-22 grade: B

Wade, who will turn 26 in November, has turned out to be a quality undrafted player and former two-way signing, similarly to Lamar Stevens.