Atkinson had no update on Dean Wade’s injury after loss to 76ers

Atkinson wants his players to have the long-term goal in mind before returning from injuries.

The Cleveland Cavaliers went from being completely healthy just over a week ago to having multiple rotation players injured. That includes the front court as Evan Mobley is still working his way back from a strained calf. Dean Wade, who’s been shifted from starting small forward to starting power forward, could miss some time as well. He exited Friday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers with a knee injury.

“I think he took a hit,” said head coach Kenny Atkinson when asked about Wade after the loss. “[We’re] praying he’s okay. No updates as of now, but he obviously got knocked out of the game.”

Chris Fedor of cleveand.com reported that Wade was injured when he went knee-to-knee with Tyrese Maxey in the third quarter. The play below shows the injury.

The camera angle isn’t great, but it seems that Wade’s right knee was hit as Maxey went right at the end of his drive. You can see Wade grimace and limp when he tries to put weight on his right leg after the play.

The Cavs desperately need Wade both in the long term and in the short term. There’s no timeline for the injury as of yet. What we do know is that the Cavs’ defense has been struggling as of late. They’ve been the 28th-ranked defense in the past two weeks with a 120 defensive rating. This has led to the Cavs being outscored by 1.8 points per 100 possessions during that span. This is why four of the Cavs’ eight losses on the season have come in the last 14 days.

Losing Wade will make it difficult to correct that in the short term. Even though Wade’s stat line is unremarkable, the team consistently plays well when he’s on the court. Cleveland is 2.4 points better overall and 3.4 points better on the defensive end with Wade on the floor compared with when he’s off.

The Cavs are in the midst of a five games in seven days stretch. Even though the Cavs could use some reinforcements, Atkinson is making sure that no one is returning until they’re fully ready to go.

“It’s really about long-term health,” Atkinson said when asked about Mobley and the team’s injuries. “It’s what I believe in. Whatever comes out of that, we want [Mobley] healthy for the long term. Taking no risks. That was my message to him and the other guys who are out right now.”