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Dean Wade Has Found His NBA Niche

In what could accurately be described as a rough season for the Cavaliers due to many different reasons, there were enough pleasant surprises thrown in there to make it enjoyable. The success that Sexland displayed together and the Jarrett Allen trade highlight the bright spots, but I’d be quick to mention how exciting it was to witness the development of the young “afterthoughts” crowding the back-end of Cleveland’s roster.

It didn’t take long for Lamar Stevens’ hustle and defensive abilities to capture the hearts of Cavs fans. His game winning dunk against Atlanta was only further affirmation. The undrafted rookie was signed to a 4-year contract mid-season to replace the two-way deal he was currently on.

Brodric Thomas was brought on by the team in the 2nd half of the season after a stellar performance in the G-League Bubble. His skill-level, length, and athleticism at the guard/wing position offers some intriguing upside, which we saw some glimpses of towards the end of the season. Thomas went undrafted out of a Division II college, before the Cavs scooped him up.

Mfiondu Kabengele (just call him “Fi”) was signed in the waning few weeks of the season, following the LA Clippers cutting him. He’ll likely never play a big-role on a good team, but his energy and shooting touch as a big was fun to watch as the “injuries” started piling up for Cleveland down the homestretch.

Just these three players are enough evidence to dismantle the somewhat popular bizarre opinion that giving Anderson Varejão two 10-day contracts was a critical misstep for the rebuilding Cavaliers, but regardless... we haven’t even begun discussing the guy that we’re here for: D-Wade, Cavalier legend!

No... not that one...

Yeah... Dean Wade. The 2nd-year player didn’t have the smoothest transition to the pros. Another undrafted player for the Cavs, he was a 4-year senior out of Kansas State. Hampered by foot injuries throughout his college career, he slipped out of the draft, despite his tremendous résumé as a Wildcat.

Never known as an ultra-athletic dynamo, Wade got his work done through his impressive skill and touch at 6’10”. Although, there’s not much margin for error with players of his archetype. He always brought the effort, but you have to be aggressive. It’s this that Dean struggled with.

Wade often was too timid for a college athlete who's as talented as he was. This carried over to his first year in the pros. He received very limited and spotty minutes his rookie season, and it’s unfair to expect major results from guys in that kind of situation, but he didn’t display any sort of promise.

If you look back at his counting stats, they're perfectly fine, but he didn't seem like he belonged. He was hesitant and unsure of himself. Meanwhile in the G-League, D-Wade was killing it. He was confident. Sure of himself. Sometimes that happens. Sometimes there are guys who just don't have what it takes to make that last step to compete with the elitist of the elite.

(Enjoy this cringey as heck Dean Wade G-League mixtape that I put together a year ago, just after Dean Wade's Two-Way contract was converted to a 4-year non-guaranteed, standard NBA deal...)

The NBA is chock full of top notch athletes, with skill-levels that are out of this world, and levels of confidence that never waver. But this year, Dean Wade, the undrafted college senior, has proved that he belongs. That he's the best basketball product to come out of Manhattan, Kansas since Michael Beasley was taken #2 overall in the 2008 NBA Draft. (Move over Rodney McGruder.)

His breakout season was far from an immediate confirmation, though. The first half of the season for the K-State alumnus was scattered with low-minute outings and DNPs. As February 24th began to creep closer and closer, not many knew for certain what the next step would be for him. Come that day, his contract would be officially guaranteed for the rest of the season. But until then? The Cavs could opt to cut him without consequence at any given moment.

Koby Altman has always been a patient, tight-lipped GM, so it wouldn't surprise anyone for him to wait until the last second to pull the plug.

But they didn't. Instead he started his first NBA game of his career and the next 4 games following that. In that stretch, the team went 4-1. Wade didn't drop any crazy numbers. He was just ultra-efficient and flourished in his role. It was a small sample size, but he held up his impactful production throughout the rest of the season.

In an injury-riddled season for both Kevin Love and Larry Nance Jr, he stepped up at the Power Forward position and established himself as a favorite among the players, coaches, fans, and front office.

The most noticeable change in Dean from year 1 to year 2? His confidence. He launched from beyond without a moment of hesitation. He wasn't afraid to attack closeouts, despite not being the most athletic guy in the gym. He rebounded aggressively, always positioning himself to be in the right place at the right time. He defended opposing forwards to a surprisingly good degree of success with some top-notch commitment and footwork.

It's not an exaggeration to say that the 6'10" sniper is a near perfect fit with the rest of Cleveland's young core. Specifically the group known as the "core four". The Cavaliers have identified Collin Sexton and Darius Garland as the current centerpieces of the team for now and moving forward. The key is surrounding the backcourt with pieces that enhance their game.

Finding guys who are active and offer value off-ball is paramount. Sexland loves to attack the basket, so the key is to open the lane for them and offer release valves for them to utilize if necessary.

Isaac Okoro and Jarrett Allen are both here to stay. Okoro is a very heady cutter. Allen is a supreme lob threat. They help make up for the defensive shortcoming that the small backcourt brings. However, they don't offer much in regards to spacing the floor. (Although, I'm optimistic that those two will continue to mitigate those concerns.)

Kevin Love and Larry Nance Jr both bring different identities to the 4 spot that raise the floor of the team, but for different reasons, things end up not quite working out the way you'd hope they would with either of them. Dean Wade intertwines the two of them and brings the perfect identities of them both to the team.

Wade's not going to be the triple-threat on the low-block that Kevin Love is. He's not going to pull off the show-stopping dunks or weakside blocks that Larry Nance Jr does with consistency. But he does bring the dynamic deep-range jumper that Love is known for. He does bring the selflessness and defensive effort that Nance does.

In fact, Dean's been so impressive defensively this season that I would absolutely declare him one of the best Cavs on that end of the floor. He's just very smart and coordinated. Towards the end of the season, when Dean Wade propaganda was continuing to rise, he spent large chunks of Cleveland's games against Dallas and Boston, guarding Luka Dončić and Jayson Tatum, respectively. He did a pretty dang good job, and if I wasn't too lazy/busy, I would go back through the games, clip them all up, and show it to your faces.

Offensively, it's incredible how effective it is to have a guy out there who's willing to just do the little things and take the open shots, while hitting them at a good clip. Oftentimes, guys do too much or too little. He does just the right amount and executes it perfectly.

Dean Wade is the reason why I feel comfortable moving on from Kevin Love this summer, no matter what the return is. Dean Wade is the reason why I feel comfortable focusing on selecting a 3rd guard in the draft, rather than a "Power Forward of the future". Dean Wade is the reason why I feel comfortable in moving Larry Nance Jr to the bench next season.

Dean Wade is a good, young player. He fits the rest of the young core like a glove. This is what the 2nd half of NBA rebuilds are all about. It's about surrounding your young star players with excellent young supporting casts. It's about finding your Dean Wade. Well, the Cavs got him.

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