The NBA career of Cleveland Cavaliers rookie guard Dylan Windler has yet to officially begin because of a left tibial stress injury. However, in the opinion of a Cavaliers insider, the newcomer’s debut is expected to arrive within the next few weeks.
Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com answered questions from fans on a variety of topics concerning the Cavs. Some of those queries dealt with Windler’s status.
“As for Windler, the rookie sharpshooter has increased his on-court activity,” Fedor wrote. “He stayed late to get extra shots following Saturday’s practice. He was doing the same again Tuesday morning, competing with veteran Brandon Knight in a 3-point contest following shootaround.
“Sources say Windler will not play during Cleveland’s upcoming three-game road trip, which starts Friday night against the Washington Wizards and ends in Philadelphia on Tuesday. The Cavs return home to play the Miami Heat on Thursday, Nov. 14. That game could possibly be his NBA debut. That would be seven weeks from the time he was sidelined with a stress reaction in his leg. If not the game against Miami, then a home matinee on Sunday, Nov. 17 against Philadelphia would make sense.
“The Cavs still don’t have a specific target date in mind, but the initial timeline was 4-6 weeks.
“When Windler comes back, he will likely to cut into Jordan Clarkson’s and Kevin Porter Jr.’s minutes.”
One person who’s especially eager to see Windler play is new head coach John Beilein, who raved about him during training camp last month. In addition, Beilein believes that Windler’s talents will serve as a huge asset in the years ahead.
Windler was chosen with the 26th overall pick in the NBA draft, with the Cavaliers using the pick they acquired from the Houston Rockets back in February. That first-round stature came despite the fact that he played his collegiate ball at Belmont University.
In Windler’s four years at the school, he started 97 of the 128 games he played in. As a senior, he averaged 21.3 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 rebounds. Over the course of his Belmont career, he connected for 217 3-pointers and had a shooting percentage in that category of 40.6 percent.
