INDEPENDENCE — Stopping an All-Star forward like Brandon Ingram is often a group project, but the Cavaliers are giving some extra credit to Dean Wade for slowing down the Toronto Raptors’ top offensive weapon.
One of the last decisions the Cavaliers had to make before entering the 2026 NBA playoffs centered around who would take the fifth starting spot alongside the big four.
For Game 1 of Cleveland’s first-round series against the Raptors, that distinction went to Wade, who immediately rewarded coach Kenny Atkinson by offering a picture-perfect defensive performance that helped the Cavs to a 126-113 win and a 1-0 series lead.
“I think Dean Wade was phenomenal,” said Max Strus when asked about the Cavs setting the tone in Game 1. “I thought he did a great job of making it tough on Ingram. He’s going to score, he’s going to get his buckets. [Dean set] the tone early defensive and everybody followed.”
Dean Wade stats
Despite logging 36 minutes on the floor, Ingram was held to 17 points and, most notably, was limited to only one shot attempt in the second half, when the Cavs surged ahead and built a comfortable lead. The Cavs know Ingram likely won’t be held to only nine shots again, and he’s going to score to at least a certain degree. But if Wade and Co. can come anywhere close to how Game 1 unfolded, they know they’ll be in good shape.
“That’s his role. That’s his niche,” Atkinson said of Wade. “That’s why that starting lineup’s so darn good, because he provides that.”
Injuries have held Wade to exactly 59 games played in each of the last two seasons. When he’s been absent, the Cavs have noted how they essentially viewed him as the missing link on defense for not only his ability to clamp down on opposing teams’ best scorers, but that he can guard anyone on the floor.
Jarrett Allen is often thought of as Cleveland’s backbone on the defensive end, guarding the rim. But Wade, on the perimeter, acts as the captain of their front line.
“How do I describe it? I think in a word: monumental,” Allen said of Wade’s defensive importance. “Definitely not valued as much as he should be. I think just his defense overall and just how much he impacts the game in a way that stat sheets don’t pick up on.”
Who the Cavs start in the fifth spot after Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Allen could be a revolving door, as a number of factors might weigh into the decision on a nightly basis. It was Wade who drew the first call, and it turned out to be the right way to go for Game 1.
Ryan Lewis covers the Cavaliers for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached at [email protected].
