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'He's a Swiss Army Knife': Cavs forward Dean Wade carves out key role with Kenny Atkinson
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- 'He's a Swiss Army Knife': Cavs forward Dean Wade carves out key role with Kenny Atkinson
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers hit the ground running under new head coach Kenny Atkinson , surging to the NBA's best record . It's a system tailored to this Cavs roster, and with Cleveland has emerged as a much bigger contender in the East .
But the Cavs still haven't played a game full strength after Max Strus went down with a bad ankle sprain just before the season started. Strus finally returned Friday night, but it was just as Isaac Okoro went down with a shoulder injury.
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During that time, Dean Wade has offered the Cavs a silver lining to those early-season injuries, in that his flexibility on both ends of the floor has helped Atkinson implement his system.
Atkinson utilizes deeper rotations than many NBA coaches. As he mixes and matches each night, there still exists the need for some versatile players to act as glue to make it all work. To a large extent, that has been Wade, who at 6-foot-9 is someone the Cavs see as one of the best — and most flexible — defenders in the NBA.
Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George and Cavaliers defenders Ty Jerome (left) and Dean Wade go for a first-half loose ball, Dec 21, 2024, in Cleveland.
"He's a Swiss Army Knife," Atkinson said. "Defensively, he can guard anybody five-through-one. … And then, offensively, he can do the same. … He's just a smart basketball player. It's so easy [to coach him]."
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Wade and Okoro are often tasked with guarding opponents' top scorers. Wade's size and ability to guard just about anyone in the NBA affords the Cavs a rare, extra layer of flexibility in attacking offenses. It's something that Atkinson values highly.
Wade recently went through a brutal shooting slump, though he recovered a bit with a 15-point game in Friday night's blowout win over the Milwaukee Bucks . But even through that slump, Wade's defense carried his value.
"I think before I got here, I didn't realize the defensive player he was," Donovan Mitchell said. "Seeing that, seeing the hard work that he's put into it, being there, being a rebounder, using his length, not fouling."
Strus, upon his return to the lineup Friday night, added, "Dean's one of the best defenders on our team, if not in the NBA."
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All of that adds up to explain why, even when Wade isn't as big of a part to the Cavs' offensive success, those in the Cleveland locker room will often name him as one of the most important players in the rotation. Add in the nights when he tends to find the rhythm behind the 3-point line, and Wade has carved out his place in Atkinson's rotation regardless of how many minutes Strus takes.
"Yeah, you got the defense and if he makes 3s like that, can I say, you're unstoppable," Atkinson said of Wade. "You don't find many guys in the league that can defend like him. … To his credit, I know he's been struggling from 3, but he's working on it — extra time after practice this morning, an optional shoot around — he knows he's got to make shots and we [encouraged], like, get up, take more. We need his volume."
Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly drives to the basket against Cavaliers forward Dean Wade during the first quarter, Dec. 13, 2024, in Cleveland.
Cavaliers working to distribute minutes once Max Strus , Isaac Okoro are healthy.
The Cavs played 27 games without Strus. They'll now be without Okoro for at least the next two weeks, likely longer. Eventually, they hope, they'll run into a "good" problem to have: finding enough minutes for too many deserving players.
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Having the best record in the NBA doesn't often lend itself to any changes, but as the Cavs get healthier, some uncomfortable discussions might have to take place with players who have performed well off the bench but simply won't be able to see the floor quite as often.
Even with Atkinson operating with some deeper rotations, it could become an issue to find enough time on the floor for everyone with 11 players looking for serious time: Mitchell, Darius Garland , Evan Mobley , Jarrett Allen , Strus, Caris LeVert , Wade, Ty Jerome , Georges Niang and Sam Merrill . That's before getting to first-round pick Jaylon Tyson .
"We haven't really talked about it, but that conversation is coming," Atkinson said. "It's got to come soon because guys are going to see that their minutes aren't what they normally have been. That's hard. Everyone can easily [say], 'I deserve my minutes. [We have] the best record in the league. Why shouldn't I keep playing my minutes?'"
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Much of the acceptance of potential minute cuts comes down to players buying into the system. Having the best record in the NBA helps. Being familiar with each other doesn't hurt, either.
"I think it helps when we have the group back," Mitchell said. "On elf the points of bringing everybody back is we know, one, how to communicate. We know we're sacrificing for each other. We've built something. So it's easier to kind of take a step back for the next guy."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavaliers forward Dean Wade is a key factor with coach Kenny Atkinson
