Dylan Windler has had an up and down start to his career to say the least. The 24 year had his true rookie season wiped away before it began because of a lower leg injury that required season ending surgery back in January of 2020. For a player who the Cavs were very high on that wasn't exactly what they envisioned when they drafted him with the 26th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Coming from Belmont, Windler had quite the reputation as a three point marksmen. A career 40% shooter from deep, he appeared to be just what the Cavaliers needed. So how has Windler played so far this season? Let's take a look.
Windler has appeared in 26 games for the Cavs while making 0 starts and averaging 17.9 minutes per game. The very good 40% from range he had in college hasn't necessarily translated to the NBA but he has canned a respectable 35% of his threes on roughly 2.7 attempts. His role off the bench has been very clear. That would be the role of catch and shoot wing. Don't get me wrong, the Belmont product can certainly do more, as evidenced by his 7.8 rebounds per 36 minutes. But at this point in time, his shooting ability is enough to keep him on the floor. The good news is that the Cavaliers aren't in a position to play veterans over their younger players. That means that WIndler will see rotation minutes on a consistent basis and in turn, hone his craft. The Cavs desperately need his shooting as they currently rank 29th in three point shooting and dead last in attempts.
What he does well
Windler is an excellent shooter off of screens and defends at a high level. He uses his 6"10' wingspan to bother opposing players and is an unusually good rebounder for his size. That's not to say that he is undersized, but the way in which he is able to be in just the right spot to snag a loose board is uncanny. He is aggressive in looking for his shot and has been a decent cutter when given the opportunity. He's not going to put up many high scoring games with the current minutes he's receiving but as the season continues and his role is expanded upon, look for him to fire away when possible as the bulk of his shots (71) come from beyond the arc. Windler's true shooting percentage is slightly above league average at 58% which speaks to his ability to be impactful with the playtime he has been given.
What he can improve on
For as highly touted of a three point marksmen as Dylan Windler was coming out of school, he hasn't always seemed confident taking that shot in the NBA. I would attribute that to two things, a lack of significant minutes and confidence. He may not be able to breach the barrier that is the Cavs rotation. He isn't quite skilled enough in any one area outside of shooting to warrant more minutes over the likes of Osman, and Dean Wade and he is firmly entrenched in a reserve role with virtually no chance to start over Darius Garland or Isaac Okoro without injury playing a part. That means that he has to settle for whatever minutes are left from those players. He can also improve upon his playmaking. Windler averaged just 2.0 helpers per game during his entire college career. If he can improve upon that part of his game while upping his percentage from deep, he may be able to siphon off some of Osman's minutes. Another area he must address is his playing weight. Listed at 196 lbs, the rook must add on some muscle to his lanky frame. That would go a long way towards being able to stand toe to toe with today's wings.
Notable games:
15 pt | 5 reb | 5-5 from deep against the Atlanta Hawks.
13 pt | 4 reb | 4-4 from deep against the Houston Rockets
12 pt | 10 reb against the Portland Trailblazers
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