5 Cavaliers players who will be much better next season

Dean Wade will be much better next season

Dean Wade has, sneakily or not, been one of the best reserves on the Cleveland Cavaliers over the last couple of seasons. Two seasons ago he was a part of the best lineups on the Cavs, backing up Lauri Markkanen and Evan Mobley at the forward positions. This past year, despite the struggles we will discuss, the Cavs were +2.4 points per 100 possessions better than their opponent when Wade was on the court.

In fact, the starting lineup with Wade at the 3 was a whopping +20.7 in 82 possessions, per Cleaning the Glass. That it only saw 82 possessions all season was a failure of coaching; that lineup made sense, it had worked in the past, and Bickerstaff avoided it like the plague.

So Wade’s season wasn’t as disappointing in reality as it appeared on the surface. Even so, he did struggle with his shooting upon returning from a long injury absence due to a sprained shoulder joint. He hit just 31 percent over those 22 games and then went 0-for-1 in the 11 minutes he received in the playoffs.

Wade is a much better shooter and much bolder shot-taker than he showed down the stretch, something that seems to be related to his injury. An offseason of rest and rebuilding his jumper should reasonably have him settle in at his career mark from outside. If his shot is falling at a league-average rate, his defense is exactly what the Cavs need and he should get another shot not just at the rotation but as the fifth starter as well.