I have to admit, it’s been incredible to see Dean Wade starting the 2022-23 season on-point for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wade is a player that has paid his dues over the past two seasons before this one, as his defense, off-ball play on both ends and catch-and-shoot abilities have aided his case over time.
When the opportunities have called for it, he has shown he can fill in for Cleveland in spot starts periodically as well, and last season, in particular, he helped the team in those instances. It was tough for him that his past season was cut short because of a partial meniscus tear, but he recovered fully from that, and thus far this season, he’s given the squad quite a lift.
Now, Wade had some issues it appeared getting himself going and was a bit out of sorts in the season opener in a loss at the Toronto Raptors, when he was a minus-11 in his minutes, and he registered four minutes in Cleveland’s blowout win at the Chicago Bulls following that.
That said, he was coming off an ankle sprain from preseason, and since, he has played the defense we’ve many grown accustomed to seeing him play, and he’s found his shooting touch it seems. In the four games since that Chicago outing, he’s had a pair of 12-point performances in wins over the Washington Wizards and Orlando Magic, and in Cleveland’s win on Sunday over the New York Knicks, Wade had a career-high 22 points.
Of course, the season is only six games in, and we’re still going to be in small sample size territory for players and teams for a bit.
Even with caveat, to me, what how he’s been showing for the Cavaliers early on, and for how he meshes with other teammates as a two-way presence, Wade could be Cleveland’s most important bench guy from here.
Wade might be the Cavaliers’ most crucial bench player moving forward.
I’m not grilling Caris LeVert here, and he’s done a whale of a job thus far, especially with making hustle plays and his playmaking has been key. But I’d probably rather, looking onward, have Wade as the starting 3 for Cleveland. It doesn’t appear as if that, when Garland is back, will continue, though.
Nonetheless, with what Wade can provide in spot starts here and there and at least as a regular rotational contributor, he has the makings of an impact guy off the bench consistently. Frankly, he could be Cleveland’s most important bench contributor moving forward, as we’ve hinted at.
Wade is not the offensive player of Kevin Love, who still can go off in his minutes off the bench, a la that Knicks game, when he had 29 points and connected on eight triples. Cedi Osman, also, is a player that in recent years has had his share of games where he’s given the Cavaliers a notable bench lift offensively, and his effort can ignite the team in spurts. We’ve seen that this season as well.
Additionally, when he is back from his ACL injury recovery (maybe in January it seems), Ricky Rubio is Cleveland’s best pure passer. He can make plays as a tertiary shot creator in his minutes, too, and defensively, he’s still a great player to have in his minutes.
However, with Wade’s ability to defend multiple positions, his feel as a team defender, and with how he can play off Cleveland’s on-ball threats effectively, he has the makings of the most impactful bench player, with his two-way presence. His 6-foot-9 size is meaningful for lineup versatility for the Cavs, too, along with those attributes.
It’s early, clearly, and when Garland is back, his numbers will come down some, but Wade is off to a hell of a start as a shooter for the Cavaliers, as he’s knocked in 15 of his 24 three-point attempts, a 62.5 percent clip. He connected on 11 of his 17 triple attempts in his past three games in spot starts as well, and in those games, he’s been a plus-20 twice, and was a plus-nine in the Orlando game.
For the season thus far, Wade is second in three-point shooting percentage among qualified players, per Basketball Reference. And within the Cavaliers, he’s had the best net rating among regular rotation players thus far, at 21.7.
Granted, I’m aware the Cavs have had six games, but upon him receiving these opportunities off the bat, he’s shown what he can do in a sizeable way. I just hope that his chances continue to be there.
So, taking everything into account, it’s becoming all the more apparent that Cleveland extending Wade prior to this season was a no-brainer move, and it could very well turn out to be a bargain. That’s with the deal for three years and $18.5 million, with $16.5 million fully-guaranteed.
Moving forward, he might just be the Cavs’ most crucial bench contributor, given the reasons we’ve stated here. The soon-to-be 26-year-old Wade is just getting started, I believe.