Will the Cleveland Cavaliers keep De'Andre Hunter on the bench next season?
The Cleveland Cavaliers finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference last season, and while they were unceremoniously bounced by the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs, they remain championship contenders heading into the 2025-26 NBA campaign.
The Cavaliers' lineup was a nightmare for most opponents last year, and it became even more daunting once they added De'Andre Hunter at the trade deadline. Hunter mostly came off the bench for Cleveland, which will definitely make things interesting heading into the coming season.
Will Hunter continue to play the role of a reserve for the Cavs? Or will he work himself into the starting lineup as a permanent fixture?
Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes explores the idea, wondering if Hunter could potentially supplant Dean Wade in the Cavaliers' starting five.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward De'Andre Hunter. Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images."Don't forget De'Andre Hunter, who has a case to start if Wade slips or can't stay healthy," Hughes wrote. "At the same time, he thrived in a Sixth Man role last year. Head coach Kenny Atkinson might prefer to keep him in that position, where he can enter games and wreck opposing backups."
Hughes' logic is very sound. There have been plenty of sixth men throughout league history who have played big minutes and have had a monumental impact, John Havlicek, Manu Ginobili and Detlef Schrempf, just to name a few. Remember: James Harden was also a sixth man in the early stages of his career.
Just because you aren't starting doesn't necessarily mean you can't play starter minutes, either. For example, Hunter played more minutes per game (25.0) than Wade (21.2) last season, so it stands to reason that Hunter would actually be on the floor in more critical moments.
Cleveland acquired Hunter in a deal with the Atlanta Hawks, sending Caris LeVert and Georges Niang to the Hawks in exchange for the former No. 4 overall pick.
While Hunter has not exactly lived up to expectations on the professional level, he has carved out a solid career for himself. In 27 games with the Cavs last year, he averaged 14.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game on 48.5/42.6/82.1 shooting splits.