After a 2-0 start to their 2024-25 season, the Cleveland Cavaliers are just fine navigating life without Max Strus. Strus, expected to miss at least Cleveland’s first 20 games, has been sidelined with a severe ankle sprain. The Cleveland sharpshooter was and still is to be an integral part of the Cavs’ offensive attack under Kenny Atkinson. However, with how well forward Dean Wade played against the Detroit Pistons, Cleveland will be just fine while Strus recovers.
“He’s so talented,” Atkinson said about Wade postgame. “What a find for the Cavs. He was one of the great finds in the last 10 years.”
Wade, who went undrafted in 2019 out of Kansas State, has become a staple roleplayer for Cleveland most nights. However, under Atkinson, Wade’s unique size and skillset perfectly complement what Atkinson is trying to establish on offense. It all came together against the Pistons, where Wade connected on seven of nine shots from the field and five of seven from the 3-point line, tying Donovan Mitchell for leading the Cavs in scoring. Wade also added five rebounds, two steals, and one assist.
“With the amount of weapons we have, it’s pretty easy for me,” Wade said. “They create so much space, and the defense has to overhelp, and [it] makes my job really easy because there’s no one around me. Luckily, I was hitting.”
Dean Wade gives the Cavs strength in numbers
When Strus does return from injury and has shaken off any rust, it’s safe to assume he will retake his role as Cleveland’s starting small forward. That isn’t a slight against Wade or anything, mind you. It’s just part of the delicate balancing act Atkinson is working through as he gets a better feel for optimizing this Cavs team on either end of the floor.
“I’m still trying to get my feel for this team,” Atkinson said. “We talked about switching some things up from what they did last season, and we’ve done that. But let’s see. We need a sample size. I like what we saw in the first game [in Toronto], but we’re going to have to eventually find one that’s kind of permanent.”
The question isn’t just playing time or who earns what minutes on the floor. It’s also about mixing and matching lineups to avoid lapses in scoring and instead leaning into consistent production even if all five starters can’t be on the floor. That was why when Strus went down, Atkinson questioned whether or not he should start Wade. Before Atkinson settled on the 6’9″ do-it-all forward in Wade, Caris LeVert was and still is in consideration for starting.
“If you start Dean, then you have to think about, ‘What’s after that?’” Atkinson said. “What do those secondary lineups look like? And then, if you want to go small with him at the 5, what does that look like? Starting him takes away some options because he can play both big positions. So we’ve got to think about that.”
Kenny Atkinson’s still figuring out how to balance everyone’s minutes
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Again, when healthy, Mitchell, Strus, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen will be Cleveland’s starting lineup. Atkinson then has to figure out how to mix best and match between Wade, LeVert, Ty Jerome, Sam Merrill, Georges Niang, and Isaac Okoro off the bench. There might also be nights where Craig Porter Jr., Tristan Thompson, or even rookie swingman Jaylon Tyson see their numbers called.
It’s a balance to figure out when the Cavs need size, ballhandling, or 3-point shooting and how to manage each lineup best. The idea is to limit stretches in which Cleveland is heavily outscored for short periods, which was an issue last season. But when the Cavs have players like Wade on fire, it makes it easier to plug and play rotations for Atkinson. More than anything, it allows Cleveland’s head coach to expand his rotations further.
“Now, I’m not Steve Kerr. I don’t play 12 guys in the first five minutes,” Atkinson said, smiling. “But I think you’ll see that, especially early on in the season. And then, as it gets to crunch time, playoff time, you start to maybe whittle it down a little. But I love playing 10, 11 if possible, and 12 for a game is definitely in the realm of possibility.”