BREAKING NEWS: Dean Wade Contract Extension (Plus, D. Mitch Stat Dive)

EDITOR’S NOTE:

The Dean Wade Woj Bomb hit as I was set to publish a Donovan Mitchell stat dive article. I’ve combined the two, so apologies for the goofy formatting.

Yours truly spent a few hours perusing the NBA.com Stats page to take a look at what Donovan Mitchell might bring to the table, especially on the offensive end. Here’s a few thoughts/reflections as the “almighty” abacus was consulted…

1. Donovan Mitchell: The Architect

 

As one can plainly see here, Mitchell was the #1 option of the best offense in the NBA last season. Obviously he had a good supporting cast with former beloved Cavalier Jordan “Captain Bandaid” Clarkson as sixth man, spot up shooter Bojan Bogdanović (59.9% true shooting last season), and former Ohio State product Mike Conley (27.7% assist rate) as a secondary playmaker.

The Cavs can replicate some of what Utah did to support Mitchell and even add to it with the scoring abilities of Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. The challenge for the Cavs is finding a dead-eye jump shooter the likes of Bogdanović. Lauri Markkanen was dealt in the deal who would’ve been fulfilling that role. Here’s to hoping there’s a break out performance among the plethora of wing options for the Cavs: Caris LeVert, Dean Wade, Lamar Stevens, Cedi Osman, Isaac Okoro, and Dylan Windler. Some Kevin Love at power forward/Evan Mobley at small forward minutes are theoretically possible against favorable matchups, but the Cavs will have to remain vigilant finding that elusive “3 and D” wing.

2. Donovan Mitchell: The Bucket

Above is a list of the most efficient isolation players in the NBA. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks are the only teams in the NBA other than the Cavs who can boast of two top 15 isolation players. Having two elite shot creators will come especially helpful in game situations where the pace is slower and half court offensive execution is at a premium. This is especially the case in the fourth quarter, where the Cavs are a bottom five team (ranked #27th out of 30) in fourth quarter points per game (25.3 ppg).

3. Donovan Mitchell The Problem

Judging by the numbers above, it could be argued Donovan Mitchell is the best pick and roll playmaker in the NBA given how efficient he is at such a tremendous volume. He’s more efficient at that play than offensive luminaries such as Stephen Curry or Luka Dončić. Mitchell’s impact will probably be felt most by the Cavs in this aspect of the game, where they were a bottom 10 PnR team (0.85 PPP, 27.6% percentile in the NBA).

4. What does Mitchell need to improve?

There are clearly two plays that Mitchell should look to improve as he embarks upon his Cavs career: transition and spot up shooting. Surprisingly, Mitchell is one of the worst transition players in the NBA, ranking in the bottom 25% of NBA players. His main problem in transition is his horrible decision-making in those situations, with a 17.9% turnover frequency. Mitchell’s spot up shooting isn’t bad at all, ranking easily in the top 50% of NBA players. But he isn’t considered among the elite spot up shooters such as Norm Powell, Buddy Hield, or Harrison Barnes.

5. Breaking News: Dean Wade Szn

Cleveland Cavaliers F Dean Wade has agreed to a three-year, $18.5 million extension, his agents Austin Walton and Adam Papas tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 24, 2022

UNDRAFTED!!! https://t.co/xLIFhPWijk

— Lamar Stevens (@LamarStevens11) September 25, 2022

Yes that’s right, Dean Wade Szn is upon us. The influence of Cavs: the Blog and Commentariat knows no bounds. Our cries for more “James” Dean Wade have been heard! On a more serious note, it’s hard not to be excited about this news if you’re a Wade fan. It looks like Wade has cemented himself as a key backup/fringe starter role, especially as competition for that all-important “3 and D” starting small forward position.

Talking with esteemed CtB colleague Elijah Kim, this is a massive vote of confidence from the front office towards Wade given the price the Cavs paid. With this deal, the Cavs have somewhat limited their roster flexibility for next off-season. That could be important should the Cavs become taxpayers next offseason in order to push for a big playoff run. On the flip side, having cheap team control over a good role player in the prime years of his career is a price worth paying, IMHO.

The Dean Wade extension makes it less likely the Cavs will use cap space next summer to fill their hole at the 3. Could have used his low cap hold to open up about $15m in room and then signed him after. That also would have meant losing Love and LeVert though.

— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) September 24, 2022

6. Sound off Commentariat!

So what you guys think, what kind of impact will Donovan Mitchell have? What do you think of the Dean Wade extension? Sound off below! Also, stay tuned for Cavs’ Media Day coming up soon…