Previewing the Cavs’ core, player by player

Dylan Windler

The Cleveland Cavaliers landed themselves an intriguing prospect in Dylan Windler. Though a foot injury will keep him sidelined for the opening of the season, Windler will have an instant impact on the team when he returns.

Windler is the prototypical shooter that the Cavaliers need. A pure marksman, Windler shot an efficient 42.9 percent from deep in college. His presence on the court will spread the floor for Cleveland offensively.

Spacing is something the Cavaliers desperately needed last year. The team ranked in the bottom third of the league for 3-point shooting and attempted the seventh-fewest amount of deep shots. This put the offense in a tough position as penetrating the paint became more difficult.

With Windler on the floor, the Cavaliers will have constant spacing. Add his above-average rebounding ability and there is potential for him to run in small-ball lineups alongside Cedi Osman, Darius Garland and Collin Sexton.

Windler gives the Cavaliers some fun versatility that they did not have before. It should come as no surprise if John Beilein experiments with many different lineups that include Windler at some point in the season.