Coming into the season, Cleveland Cavaliers forward De’Andre Hunter received a lot of praise for his incredible offseason. Head coach Kenny Atkinson called him their offseason MVP. With the Cavs missing Max Strus for all of this season thus far, Hunter has occupied the starting small forward spot.
Wanting to be in the starting lineup was something Hunter made clear to Atkinson in the offseason. So far, the results have been inconsistent, and has been one of the reasons for the Cavs’ slow 15-12 start. This could lead to Atkinson making a change to his rotations.
Cavaliers must consider moving Hunter back to the bench
Hunter’s counting stats look solid on the surface. He is averaging 15.4 points per game, and shooting 42.9 percent from the field. That is where the positives end. He is shooting only 30.3 percent from 3-point range, and Cleveland has a -2.1 net rating with him on the court.
Hunter’s defense has also been an issue. He often gets caught sleeping and allows easy backdoor cuts for layups. He gets beaten off the dribble way too often, and is not nearly as active on the glass as he should be (only 4.3 rebounds per game).
Hunter can also find himself checked out of games when his shot isn’t falling, or if he isn’t getting foul calls. The Cavs have talked all year about mental toughness and spirit. Right now, Hunter needs to find that again.
Dean Wade is currently the team’s best point of attack defender and when you swap him and Hunter, the Cavs are nearly four points better defensively. For a team that is looking to rediscover their defensive identity, sliding him in as a starter would be a step in the right direction.
Wade also offers more physicality on rebounds. While he doesn’t have the scoring ability of Hunter, he still finds ways to impact the game even when he isn’t scoring.
Hunter thrived in his bench role with Cleveland last year. It allowed him to settle into the game better, and his scoring skillset fits better with the second unit than with the starters. He shouldn’t consider it as a demotion.
The Cavs have time to turn it around. In order to do that, they cannot maintain the status quo. Moving Hunter to the bench now allows for them to re-adjust their rotations so they are used to it by the time the postseason rolls around.