Dylan Windler to miss 4-6 weeks due to left tibial stress reaction

According to a release from the Cavs, rookie wing Dylan Windler will miss the next 4-6 with a left tibial stress reaction. According to the team, Windler experienced “discomfort in his lower left leg following a series of recent team workouts” and will thus be sidelined for the beginning of Cleveland’s 2019-20 season.

A 4-6 week absence from today would mean Windler would be back around Oct. 25 at the earliest and around Nov. 8 at the lastest. That means that he’ll definitely miss the Cavs’ entire preseason slate and likely the team’s season opener on Oct. 23. If he’s out for the full six weeks or longer, he’ll miss about eight games.

This is a bummer first and foremost because Windler, a first-round pick, figured to come in and have a chance to have minutes right way. His absence would give Kevin Porter Jr. a chance for early minutes and perhaps Sindarius Thornwell and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot as well.