The Cleveland Cavaliers are confused as to why this key player hasn't played well this season.
According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, the Cleveland Cavaliers are puzzled by forward De'Andre Hunter's struggles this season.
The Cavaliers believe Hunter is a much better player than he has shown thus far this season.
Hunter has appeared in 35 games this season. He's averaging 14.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 42.7% from the field, 30.6% from beyond the arc and 87.5% from the free-throw line.
In 27 games for Cleveland last season, Hunter averaged 14.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. The former Atlanta Hawks swingman shot 48.5% overall, 42.6% from 3 and 82.1% from the foul line.
As you can see by the numbers, Hunter shot the ball better last season. The 28-year-old is making $23.3 million this season. He'll make $24.9 million next season in the final year of his contract.
The Cavaliers are 22-18. They are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings. If the regular season ended today, Cleveland would be in the NBA play-in tournament. It's been a disappointing campaign thus far for the Wine and Gold, who had the top record in the conference last season.
Most people around the NBA don't expect the Cavaliers to make any significant changes to their roster at the 2026 NBA trade deadline despite having the most expensive team in the league. President of basketball operations Koby Altman still believes in the "Core 4" of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen.
It will be fascinating to see if Hunter and the Cavaliers can turn things around this season. Cleveland hasn't advanced past the second round of the playoffs since 2018, the final campaign of LeBron James' second stint.