Growing Up ...

Dylan Windler



Cavs Sharpshooting Swingman Looks Back on His Early Days in Indy



In a time of true uncertainty, specifically in the NBA, Cavalier fans know one thing about their 2020 incoming rookie class. That their “bonus draft pick” – Dylan Windler – can play at this level. After a successful Summer League stint following his selection at the No. 26 overall pick last June out of Belmont, Windler didn’t see a minute of action during his rookie year, sidelined for the season by a lower left leg injury. The Cavaliers other first rounders from this past Draft – Darius Garland and Kevin Porter Jr. – have shown flashes of brilliance, and the future looks bright for both. Windler, who led the Ohio Valley Conference in both rebounding and three-point shooting as a senior, was rock-solid last Summer, but he’ll have to wait before completing the triumvirate. While we await word on what steps the league will take as we return to normalcy, here’s a chance to catch up with the sharpshooting swingman from Indianapolis, as Dylan Windler walks us through his formative years …

Windler was tabbed at No. 26 overall after leading the Ohio Valley Conference in rebounding and three-point shooting as a senior at Belmont.

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

I come from an … athletic family. My mom, she played basketball and ran track in high school – and she was really good at both.

Actually, my mom was … a state-competing high-jumper. She went to the same high school as me and to this day she still holds the high-jump record. It’s right there in the wall of the gym of my high school.

I have a sister … who’s three years older than me who also did high-jump, along with soccer and basketball. She goes to Ball State, but doesn’t play organized sports there.

Growing up … I really played everything.

Obviously, everybody plays … organized soccer. I played a lot of soccer – I played indoor, outdoor soccer.

And then I also played … football in elementary school and middle school. I played on a traveling team for baseball and played baseball through middle school. Obviously, golf and basketball. I played tennis, but not organized – just against my dad a lot.

I’m only a lefty … in basketball. I guess I kick with my left foot, but everything else is right-handed.

I throw a baseball and football … right-handed, swing a golf club right-handed. I’m a little weird in that way.

I probably started golf and basketball … at around the same time, maybe around five years old.

I remember … going to the driving range with my dad as a little kid and hitting balls before I really knew how to swing a golf club. I couldn’t hit it more than 10 or 20 yards, but I still had fun doing it.

And then in hoops … I played in all the same YMCA basketball leagues probably from around the same age.

As young as you were allowed … to play an organized sport, I played it.

I probably started thinking I could … get to the next level at golf in middle school. I started to see that I was getting better than most everyone else. I was the No. 1 on our middle school team and was the No. 1 as a freshman in high school. So, I always thought I could take golf to the next level.

"I think it’d be really fun to complete against some other NBA guys, if there would ever be a pro-am tournament or something like that." Dylan Windler, on the chance to golf against fellow NBA players

Basketball, I was always … pretty good, but I didn’t have the height until about sophomore, junior year of high school. That’s when I started to get better. And then I got a break in a Tournament playing AAU during my junior year.

So it was until my junior year … where I thought I might have a chance to take basketball to the next level.

I’m not exactly how many … NBA guys are also pretty serious golfers.

I think I’d do pretty well … against most guys. I know Steph (Curry) plays and he’s really good. J.R. (Smith) plays. I know he’s not in the league right now, but I’ve heard he’s good. But I think Steph is really up there among NBA guys.

I think it’d be … really fun to complete against some other NBA guys, if there would ever be a pro-am tournament or something like that.

Everyone thinks golf … is something you can do every day. But golf was actually almost more of a grind than basketball in high school.

You’re going to practice … every day after school for about two hours, and then during the summers you have a tournament every weekend. Throughout the week you’re at the golf course every day for a couple hours – whether you’re chipping and putting or at the driving range.

Every now and then you get … out on the course, but for the most part, I’d go but never actually play the course – just hit the driving range or chipping or putting range for hours.

It’s very frustrating … at times because golf is just a very up-and-down sport and it’s hard to be consistent. When you have one of those tournaments when you’re just not playing well, it can be mentally exhausting.

In 8th grade, I was … a point guard because I wasn’t that tall.

And then, during my freshman and sophomore … years in high school, I went from six foot to 6-5. I switched out onto the wing, but I still had all those ball-handling skills, because in middle school and even before that I was always the one bringing the ball up.

That growth spurt … really gave me a big advantage.

That’s right around the time … that I finally got my first dunk.

I think it was the summer … going into my freshman year in high school. I remember I couldn’t dunk in middle school and I was really mad about it because I had a couple teammates that could, and it really got to me.

So I remember … that whole summer I worked on it and was constantly trying to dunk.

And then right before the start … of my freshman season, it was open gym and of course everyone is trying to dunk and show off. And I finally got one!

The guys all … went nuts. But you know when you get that first one. It’s always kind of a scene.