Dylan Windler

Dylan Windler, born on September 22, 1996, has emerged as a highly regarded professional basketball player for the venerable Los Angeles Lakers franchise of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His playing pathway, leading him to a two-way contract between the Lakers and their NBA G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, began in his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Windler discovered his passion for sports early, balancing between basketball and golf, sometimes trading one court for another. He excelled in both, even participating in numerous junior golf tournaments. Nevertheless, it was on the basketball court where Windler truly shone.

High school proved pivotal for him when he was handpicked in 2014 summer to play for Indiana Elite AAU team, sharing the platform with the future Virginia player Kyle Guy. His performance stood out and led to 15 Division I schools offering him scholarships. Eventually, the lure of Nashville, Tennessee, won him over, and he found his second home at the Belmont University, where he chose to hone his skills.

As a fresh face at Belmont University, he was, initially, a reserve player with an overall score of just 4.3 points per game. The following sophomore year saw a shift, as he stepped into the shoes of a starting guard. His aptitude for scoring outside the conservatively comfortable shooting range became apparent with a staggering 39.8% completion rate. This placed him in the limelight with an average score of 9.2 points per game.

Under the spotlight, Windler’s performance went up quite a few notches during his junior year – a breakout season that saw him average 17.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game with an over 45% three-point completion rate. He topped his career high with a 36-point, 20-rebound game against Morehead State on February 17, 2018. These accomplishments earned him a spot on the First-Team All-OVC and placed him on the 2019 Julius Erving Award Watch List in his final year.

His senior year began with Windler breaking his own highest scoring record with 41 points, aided by eight three-pointers. With an average of 21.3 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game, he played a pivotal role in guiding Belmont to the NCAA tournament. Despite scoring 35 points and securing 11 rebounds, his team fell short by 2 points in a 79-77 loss to the Maryland Terrapins.

Upon graduation, Windler’s professional basketball journey began when he was picked 26th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2019 NBA draft. That July, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Cavaliers. However, a leg injury in January 2020 thwarted his debut season.

Windler bounced back the next year and stepped foot on the NBA court for the first time on December 23, 2020, against the Charlotte Hornets. He slowly started marking his presence with memorable performances, such as a career-high 15 points in a win against the Atlanta Hawks on February 23, 2021.

After his stint with the Cavaliers, he shifted gears and inked a two-way contract with the New York Knicks in July 2023, which was later converted into a standard contract in October, just before the start of the season. Despite a brief hiccup where he was waived and later acquired by the affiliate team Westchester Knicks, Windler continued to persevere.

Opportunities came knocking again for this resilient player, and on January 6, 2024, Windler signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers – a testament to his talent, hard work, and dedication to the game of basketball. His journey, punctuated by arduous work and impressive performances, cemented his place as a proven talent in the competitive world of NBA.