Dylan Windler, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ small forward, has posted solid stats off the Cleveland bench in his 15 games played. The Cavs have struggled to find a consistent scorer at the small forward position this season. Due to Windler’s offensive production, should the Cavaliers give him more minutes?
Windler’s Bench Production
Windler has mainly impressed on the offensive end in his rookie season. The 6-foot-6 forward has posted a field goal percentage of 47.7% this season. His effective field goal percentage is an impressive 57.7%. Windler was primarily scouted as a 3-point shooter, but is only shooting 31% from deep this season. The former Belmont star has been extremely productive from the free throw line and on two point attempts. Windler is shooting 88.2% from the free throw line, and is shooting 78.3% on 2-pointers.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ forward has been averaging 17.5 minutes per game. Windler is averaging 12.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.2 steals per 36 minutes. Due to this production, one may wonder why is Windler only playing 17.5 minutes per game? The small forward has had numerous injuries to start his NBA career, including a broken hand and injured leg. Windler may be easing back into the swing of things due to these injuries. He has only played fifteen NBA games after all.
As previously mentioned, Windler was scouted as a knockdown 3-point shooter. He has only shot at a clip of 31% from deep this season, but he still has massive potential from behind the 3-point line. Windler seems to have a jump shot with proper mechanics, and it looks the part as well.
The NBA's best rookie who no one is talking about
Dylan Windler has high potential as a 3-and-D threat due to his elite basketball instincts and pure jumper
Look at how natural his game is – a perfect fit for the Cavaliers pic.twitter.com/WRRhrVNlNq
— Tony Pesta (@Tony_Pesta) January 28, 2021
Windler’s Background
With Windler’s small sample size of 15 games, looking at his college career is important. Simply put, Windler was a stud in his last two seasons of college ball. He played for Belmont University, which is located in Nashville, Tennessee.
The forward was a double-double machine, and was a marksman from deep for the Belmont Bruins. In his Junior season, Windler averaged 17.3 points per game and 9.3 rebounds a game. In his Senior campaign, Windler snagged 10.8 rebounds per game along with 21.3 points per game.
At Belmont, Windler shot 40.6% from deep in his career. Even more impressive, he shot 42.6% from three his junior season and 42.0% his senior season. It is understandable why Windler was scouted as a 3-point threat. Due to the forward’s college production, the Cavaliers have hope Windler will become more efficient from three.
Cleveland’s Forward Minutes
While many weaknesses can be found on the Cavs’ painful eight game losing streak, one weakness that sticks out is the offensive output at the small forward position. Isaac Okoro is playing the most minutes per game among Cleveland’s small forwards at 33.3 minutes.
Okoro, the talented, rookie forward, has not demonstrated consistent offensive production quite yet. The 6-foot-6 forward per 36 minutes averages 8.3 points while shooting 40.1% from the field and 26.2% from three.
Okoro is playing the most minutes out of Cleveland’s forwards, while Windler is playing 17.5 minutes per game. Okoro’s offensive efficiency per 100 possessions is only at the mark of 97. While Windler boasts an impressive offensive rating of 114 per 100 possessions. To summarize, while Okoro is on the floor the Cavs score 97 per 100 possessions. When Windler plays, Cleveland scores 114 points per 100 possessions.
With the Cavs’ consistent struggle to find offensive efficiency at the small forward position, minutes may need altered. Windler is providing consistent offensive play, and this may call for the reward of more playing time.
All stats courtesy off Basketball-Reference and ESPN.
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