Dean Wade will start the Cleveland Cavaliers’ season opener

According to Chris Fedor of cleveland.com, the Cleveland Cavaliers will reportedly use Dean Wade in place of Max Strus (OUT – Ankle) for their season opener against the Toronto Raptors. Wade started 32 games last season and the Cavaliers posted a 21-11 record in those games.

Wade offers two-way value as a 6-foot-2 defensive player who shoots 37% from three in his career. He hasn’t always been the most reliable in terms of availability and performance, but this season could be a different story. Head coach Kenny Atkinson plans to push Wade out of his comfort zone. His inclusion in the starting line-up is a first indication of this.

“Yeah, he needs to shoot more,” Atkinson said of Wade. “Let that thing go, let that thing go. I just don’t think he knows how good a shooter he is.”

An increase in volume without sacrificing efficiency would make Wade a premier player in today’s NBA given his defensive abilities. Wade is one of the best isolation defenders and the Cavs ranked in the 100th percentile when he shared the field with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley last season.

Starting Wade alongside the Core Four could be a revelation. This lineup outscored opponents in the 2022-23 season with a net rating of +20.8 in their limited sample size. But they didn’t even log enough minutes together in the 2023-24 campaign to show the tracking data. We never got an answer about the long-term viability of this lineup – Atkinson will likely fix that.

That’s not to knock Strus, who has been a fantastic addition to the Cavaliers. His three-point volume has filled a much-needed hole in the starting lineup. But if Wade is successful in his place, the fit of this roster will make more sense. Strus has played above his weight class as a small forward and would have an easier time returning to his traditional shooting guard role.

Strus will be sidelined for at least the next six weeks due to a sprained ankle. That gives Wade plenty of room to prove whether or not he can keep up with the starters. With the season opener just a few hours away, let’s do this.