Dean Wade is the most irreplaceable player on the Philadelphia 76ers this season.
That's a wild statement to make about a team that has four All-NBA players in its starting lineup, but it is also true. And his importance to the team is only going up as they deal with injury news from their very first preseason game.
While the Cleveland Cavaliers asked a lot of Wade, his new team is about to ask even more.
The 76ers are going to need Wade
If any one of the 76ers' star players misses time due to injury or rest, there is another similar player to step in and take their place. They have ball-handling, playmaking and shot creation in spades. The likes of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are "better" players than Wade without question, but he is truly unique in what he brings to the team.
That unique versatility will be critical to a team that needs role palyers to come alongside their stars if they are going to make a run in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Wade will be asked to do a lot for Philadelphia this season.
A new assignment has just become clear to him. Backup center Ariek Hukporti tore his Achilles in the team's preseason opener, and he will miss the entirety of the season. Suddenly, before the season officially begins, the 76ers are dealing with injuries at a critical position.
Joel Embiid is going to miss a lot of time this year, even if he stays relatively healthy. Center is the position where Philly needs the greatest depth, as they will call upon it often. On such nights, Adem Bona is the only true center likely to be rotation worthy.
That will almost certainly mean minutes for Wade at center, and perhaps even a spot in the starting lineup at center, playing next to LeBron James as the two "bigs" in the lineup. They need him at both forward positions to defend and knock down shots, but they will almost certainly be calling on him early and often as a smallball 5.
The Cavaliers never asked this of him
Wade's versatility was a critical part of Cleveland's success over the past few seasons. He started for them at small forward in last year's playoff run to the Eastern Conference Finals. He is a natural power forward and has the size and strength to defend 4s while bringing accurate, if low-volume, floor-spacing.
Cleveland even called upon him at center from time to time, using him as the 5 about a tenth of the time. He is stout enough to bang with bigs down low, and it gave head coach Kenny Atkinson another tool in his arsenal to deploy at times.
What the Cavs never did was ask Wade to play large minutes at the 5, or potentially even most of his minutes there -- something the 76ers may very well have to do on nights when Embiid is unavailable. They certainly are not going to be trotting out Tacko Fall for significant minutes.
Cleveland has generally always had one of Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen available over the last two seasons, when they have even been open to Wade playing at center. He played small stints as the smallball 5. He could start for the 76ers at center in a pinch -- a new expectation for him.
Dean Wade has always proved ready for any task thrown at him. He will surprise Philly fans with his versatility and impact until they are begging the team to play him over one of the team's stars to make lineups work. And often, it seems that Wade will be playing a new position at center.
What can't he do?
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