Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade reportedly is set to return to the team’s lineup on Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks after missing several weeks with a shoulder injury.
“After missing seven weeks with a shoulder injury, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade is planning his return against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, sources told ESPN,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski wrote.
It’s great news for the Cavs, as Wade was playing a big role for the team before going down. Before the injury, he started nine of the 17 games he appeared in while averaging 24.1 minutes per game.
Wade last played in a game for the Cavs on Dec. 2 of this season against the Orlando Magic.
It will be interesting to see how head coach J.B. Bickerstaff plans to incorporate Wade back into the rotation. The Cavs are in a bit of a rough patch, going just 5-5 in their last 10 games and losing to the undermanned Golden State Warriors at home on Friday night.
Cleveland still holds the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, but the team is looking to avoid a third straight loss on Saturday when it takes on Milwaukee.
An undrafted free agent out of Kansas State University, Wade latched on with the Cavs in the 2019-20 season, appearing in 12 games.
Since then, he’s grown into a solid role player for Cleveland and even has 56 starts to his name during his time with the organization. Wade gives the Cavs a lot of size on the wing, and he’s really come into his own as a 3-point shooter this season.
In his 17 games prior to suffering the shoulder injury, Wade shot 41.1 percent from beyond the arc on 3.3 attempts per game.
Cleveland comes into Saturday’s game just two games behind the Bucks in the Eastern Conference standings. A win over Milwaukee would not only help the Cavs get back on track, but it would also even the season series between the teams at two games apiece.
It will be interesting to see how big of a role Wade has in such a crucial game for Cleveland. The 26-year-old had been averaging 6.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game before his injury and will look to make an impact upon returning.
