Tyrese Proctor showed potential in his rookie season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, making him an intriguing breakout candidate.
With the way the Cleveland Cavaliers' offseason has gone, there's a very good chance the Wine and Gold will run back a very similar roster to the one they finished with following their Eastern Conference Finals run.
If that ends up being the case, the Cavaliers will need their core to step up and continue developing for the team to continue being a contender.
Even though it's still the middle of July, there is one player who feels like a way-too-early breakout candidate for the Cavaliers: Tyrese Proctor.
Proctor had a very respectable rookie season with the Cavaliers after being the No. 49 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and signing a four-year deal with Cleveland.
He found himself getting more playing time than expected at the start of the season due to injuries on Cleveland's roster. As expected, he returned to a more reserved role once the team got healthy.
Still, the 22-year-old guard appeared in 50 games (one start) last season, averaging 5.4 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting 41 percent from the floor and 35 percent from behind the arc.
Apr 12, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Tyrese Proctor (24) drives to the basket against Washington Wizards forward Anthony Gill (16) during the second half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn ImagesCleveland is still clearly invested in the development of Proctor and believes he could be a valuable piece to its roster.
Proctor is back in his native Australia this summer, competing with the national team in the 2027 FIBA qualifiers. The Cavaliers actually sent one of their coaches halfway across the world to monitor the guard's progress.
Koby Altman even stated in his end-of-season media availability that the team is excited to see what type of player Proctor is at the start of training camp.
“Tyrese Proctor’s going to have a big offseason for us, hopefully,” said Altman. “I’m excited about his growth for sure.”
The only way Proctor is going to break out next season is if he gets more playing time. He'll have to battle for those opportunities, but they should be there. The Cavaliers have a lot of guard depth, but many players with a similar skillset.
Proctor and Cleveland's newest draft pick, Meleek Thomas, could be competing with one another for backup guard minutes. Proctor's one year of NBA experience and three seasons at Duke could give him an edge.
If Proctor has an offseason full of growth and development, as Cleveland anticipates, and wins backup guard minutes, there's a good chance he could have a breakout season.
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