Several members of the Cavaliers come into the 2023-24 season with something to prove. And you can count Dean Wade as one of them.
One of the longest-consecutively-tenured Cavaliers – along with Darius Garland – Wade is looking to bounce back from a shoulder injury that severely hampered him one season ago. And through three preseason contests, the results have been very good.
Last year began with Wade in the starting lineup before a knee injury around Thanksgiving sidelined him for six games.
He returned less than two weeks later, and Cleveland would go on to win four of the next six – with Wade snagging a career-high-tying 12 boards in a victory over Milwaukee. But the undrafted forward from Kansas State’s season would be temporarily derailed in the first half of a win over Orlando in early December – suffering a left shoulder sprain that would cost him the next 23 games.
After he returned from the shoulder injury, Wade wasn’t quite the same over the final stretch of the regular season and into the Playoffs.
In the last 27 games of the regular season, he shot 38 percent from the floor, including 31 percent from beyond the arc. His minutes decreased as the season drew on, although he came back to start the final four games of the year. But in the First Round series against the Knicks, Wade played in just two games, logging just over 11 minutes off the bench.
The nagging injury was something new for the 5th-year man as he struggled to get healthy.
“I broke my foot in college, but once you’re healed, you’re good to go,” explained Wade. “With my shoulder, it’d be good for a week, then I’d hit it wrong or do something wrong and I’d take a couple steps backward. That was the main thing: I just kept setting myself back farther and farther. That’s why it took so long in the summer. That’s definitely the first injury I’ve had like that.”
Over last year, as a whole, Wade averaged 4.7ppg and 3.4rpg, appearing in 44 games with 13 starts. He shot 41 percent from the floor and 35 percent from deep – with five outings of double-digit scoring.
This year, the 6-9, 228-pounder came out of the summer ready to rumble after rehabbing his shoulder. And it’s shown.
Through three preseason games this year – including a start in Monday night’s meeting against Maccabi Ra’anana – Wade’s been very good, notching double-figuring scoring in two of them.
Heading into Friday’s preseason finale in Indiana, Wade’s averaged 11.6ppg, shooting 63 percent (12-of-19) from the floor and 60 percent (9-of-15) from three-point range. Last week against Orlando, he led all reserves with six rebounds; on Monday night against Maccabi, he led both teams with eight boards.
“I was ready, man,” smiled Wade, following Cavaliers practice on Thursday afternoon. “During the season, when you get an injury like that, it’s hard to build yourself all the way back up to 100 percent. So, when the summer was here, my main focus was getting my shoulder back to full strength like it was before. It took most of the summer actually. It took a lot longer than I thought it was going to. So, when the preseason rolled around, I was really excited to test it – take a couple hits on it, see how it responded. And I feel good.
“I’m 100 percent ready right now. At the end of last year, I was a little hesitant to get hit on that side, but this year, I’m ready.”
J.B. Bickerstaff has been impressed by his versatile veteran forward so far this fall.
“Dean’s been really good,” praised Bickerstaff. “I think he’s playing with a ton of confidence. And it’s not just about the shot-making. You look at dean and he’s doing other things. He’s rebounding the ball at a high clip. He knows how to make an offense move and keep ticking. He makes everybody’s job on that end of the floor a little bit easier. And then, defensively, he’s got the ability to defend multiple positions – both perimeter and with the big guys – and can do the job.”
Wade has never posted monster numbers for the Cavs. And although he can get on a heater – like an early-season win over New York last year, going 8-of-11 from the floor, 6-of-8 from deep – carrying the offensive load is not his role with the team.
But one number that Wade can point to is Cleveland’s win-loss record with him in the lineup.
Last year, the Wine & Gold went 10-3 with Wade in the starting lineup. In those starts, the former Wildcat averaged 6.6 points and 4.8 boards, shooting .408 from the floor and .407 from long-range. Over the course of his career, the Cavs are 33-27 in Wade’s 60 starts.
Wade didn’t just rehab over the summer. He continued to work on his game coming into his fifth NBA season.
“You try to keep your tools sharp that you have – and maybe you try to add one or two to the bag in the summer,” said Wade. “I tried to work a lot on attacking close-outs, one-two-dribble moves. And this summer, I’ve also tried to sharpen my shot, get a little more consistent.”
Coming into his fifth season as one of the squad’s true veteran leaders, Wade has the heartbeat of the team. And he has a good feeling about the direction this year’s squad is headed.
“Everyone’s excited to see how we all mesh together,” said Wade. “The word ‘determination’ comes up a lot. The end of last season kind of left a bad taste in our mouths – and we really want to come out and prove that we’re not that team. And we added a bunch of pieces. So, I think everyone’s super-excited. There’s a lot of energy in Cleveland right now. And in this building, everyone’s excited and determined and ready to get after it.”