Cleveland Cavaliers: Complete grades for the 2019 NBA offseason
By Phil Watson
Selecting Dylan Windler at No. 26 overall
Another year, another Bruin taken in the first round of the NBA Draft. But Dylan Windler, the 26th overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers — with a pick acquired from the Houston Rockets in a three-way deal with the Cavs, Rockets and Sacramento Kings at the trade deadline in February — is not one of those Bruins.
Instead, Windler is the first player ever drafted from the Belmont Bruins after averaging a double-double as a senior and shooting a solid 40.6 percent from deep in his four-year career there.
Windler will become just the second player from Belmont — Ian Clark being the other — to play in the NBA and Summer League sessions in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, Windler showed some promise.
Dylan Windler signed a $2M contract (for year 1) with the Cavs, had his welcome to the NBA moment, and his coach is cutting up game film to watch with him personally. Check out Windler’s first two weeks as a pro @TheAthleticNBA https://t.co/RtFoeOTB4A
— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) July 11, 2019
A 6’7” wing who needs to add some bulk to his 200-pound frame, Windler played in six of Cleveland’s eight games at the two venues, averaging 10.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 22.8 minutes per game on 41.8 percent shooting overall, hitting 34.5 percent on 4.8 3-point tries a game.
The numbers didn’t jump off the page, but Windler looked like he belonged and he had just six turnovers in six Summer League games — an extremely low number given teams are comprised of guys still wearing “Hello, My Name Is … ” stickers.
He was a sneaky good rebounder at Belmont, averaging 10.8 per game as a senior after grabbing 9.3 per contest as a junior in 2017-18.
As a No. 26 overall pick, Windler looks like a kid who could stick around a while as a functional wing.
Grade: B