Cavs will be without key rotation player against Magic

25/04/2024 21:15

While the Cleveland Cavaliers have had no problem taking care of business against the Orlando Magic in the first round of the NBA Playoffs to this point, it’s fair to wonder when forward Dean Wade will return to the floor – especially now that the Cavs have ruled Wade out for the remainder of the first round against the Magic.

With Wade ruled out for the remainder of the first round, it throws a wrench in Cleveland’s ability to fine-tune its three-point-heavy offensive approach during the postseason. Again, the Cavs are doing fine without him, but with the Boston Celtics or Miami Heat possibly waiting in the second round, it would be ideal to be at full strength against a more formidable foe.

Where in the world is Dean Wade?

Wade has been dealing with a bothersome knee injury and has missed both of Cleveland’s playoff wins against Orlando. These two absences due to this ongoing knee injury are a continuing theme for Wade, who has been unable to take the court since March, missing Cleveland’s last 18 regular season games.

While Wade missed the first three of those 18 games for personal reasons, the knee issues started flaring up on March 15, when the Cavs practiced in Houston before taking on the Houston Rockets the next day.

Sources confirm that the reported plan was to reinsert Wade into the rotation when Cleveland took on Houston. However, the knee issue threw a wrench in those plans, and since then, Wade has been regularly seen in street clothes, cheering on his teammates from the bench.

So, while it’s clear the Cavs don’t need Wade back right away, he is a critical part of Cleveland's rotation this season. Wade played 54 games and made a career-high 32 starts during the regular season. Wade averaged 5.4 points per game, along with career-bests of 4.0 rebounds, 0.7 steals, 0.5 blocks (tied), 1.5 three-pointers, and 20.5 minutes per contest.

Wade also made an efficient 39.1% of his 3.7 three-point attempts per game, giving the Cavs valuable spacing on top of his size and rebounding whenever he was on the floor. So, with Wade’s ongoing status cloudy, Cleveland is incomplete, which is suboptimal considering its possible upcoming playoff opponents.

In one appearance against the Heat, Wade scored five points, grabbed six rebounds, and connected on one of his four three-point attempts. Wade put up those numbers in roughly 25 minutes of action, mostly playing rock-solid defense against Jimmy Butler, holding him to 5-15 shooting in Cleveland’s 111-99 win over Miami.

While his numbers don’t scream game-changer against the Heat, in three appearances against the Celtics, meanwhile, Wade was a one-man wrecking crew for the Cavs. In three regular-season appearances against Boston, Wade averaged 12.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 blocks and 0.3 steals in 18.9 minutes per game.

His biggest game against Boston came in early March, right before the bothersome knee injury began to sideline him. Wade scored 23 points, hitting six of his nine three-point attempts and even having the game-winning dunk.

So, if Cleveland ends up facing Boston in the second round, getting him back would be ideal since he has the size and ability to help contain Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and, more importantly, seems to look his best against the Celtics. But, this all depends on who wins the matchup between Miami and Boston and, more importantly, when Wade can even get back to the floor.

While ClutchPoints spotted Wade getting in work with Cavs assistants before the team hit the road for Orlando, he was a nonparticipant in their latest home practice, according to head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Although Bickerstaff said Wade has been able to put in some light work, like the standalone shooting with Cleveland’s assistants, he’s still progressing to full on-court activity.

So, if the Cavs were to able to sweep the Magic, all while the Heat and the Celtics continue to bludgeon one another, it could give Cleveland and Wade just enough time to get him back on the floor, even if it’s in a limited capacity, which could help decide either second-round matchup.

The post Cavs will be without key rotation player against Magic appeared first on ClutchPoints.