The Cleveland Cavaliers and their fans know three things about longtime forward Dean Wade.
First, his beard is immaculate. It fits his lumberjack vibe perfectly. The Philadelphia 76ers certainly already know that after recruiting him and signing him away from the Cavaliers this summer.
There are two more lessons that the 76ers will learn about Wade this year, and only one of them is good. And Cavaliers fans already know exactly what they will be.
Dean Wade will prove to be absolutely indispensable to the 76ers. He will also prove to be maddeningly fragile.
Dean Wade is indispensable
The 76ers now have one of the most star-laden lineups in the history of the NBA. LeBron James is teaming up with another former MVP in Joel Embiid, a former Finals MVP in Jaylen Brown, and All-NBA point guard Tyrese Maxey. Somehow, second-year rising star VJ Edgecombe is something of an afterthought.
Wade has been forced out of the starting lineup with the signing of LeBron, but he will end up being an absolutely crucial rotation player. He is one of the more defensively versatile players in the league, big and strong enough to play center while having the foot speed and length to defend point guards. That's not hyperbole; he defended Jalen Duren in one series and Jalen Brunson in the next in last year's playoffs.
Add in that his 3-point shot has come around and is now a consistent weapon, and you get the ultimate 3-and-D forward: he has size, length, elite defensive skills and can space the floor. He works in nearly any lineup imaginable.
For a 76ers team that is frighteningly light on both shooting and defense, Wade will prove absolutely vital. The Cavaliers again and again tried to build lineup combinations that could thrive without Wade, and every time came back to him as their best option.
The Sixers' best lineups this season will include Wade, without a doubt. That will likely come at the expense of lineups featuring Jaylen Brown and no Wade, not because Wade is a better player, but because he can scale alongside nearly anyone. Write that prediction in ink.
As indispensable as Wade will be, however, there is another lesson that Philadelphia will soon learn.
Dean Wade is maddeningly fragile
Last season, Dean Wade played in 59 regular-season games and was surprisingly healthy all throughout Cleveland's run to the Eastern Conference Finals. In part because of this, the Cavaliers went further than they ever have since LeBron James left.
Unfortunately, that was the exception, not the rule, for Wade. He is almost always nursing an injury by the time the playoffs roll around. His 59 games tied the most he has played in since 2020-21; his totals are 51, 44, 54, 59 and 59. He has avoided the catastrophic injuries, but is particularly susceptible to the nagging ones.
There isn't just one chronic issue, either. Last season, he battled an ankle injury. Earlier, it was his knee. He had a major shoulder injury in 2022. A calf, the other knee, an eye contusion. He can't shake the minor injuries.
The 76ers are flush with players whose health they will need to manage. Joel Embiid is a lock to miss 20 games. LeBron James will turn 42 in December. Add Wade to the list of players who will be dealing with injuries.
Philadelphia is going to come to two Dean Wade realizations this year, and the Cavaliers are intimately familiar with both. They will absolutely need Wade, and they just might not have him.
Their hopes of making a playoff run likely hinge not on LeBron or Embiid or Brown, but on one role player named Dean Jackson Wade.
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