The Cleveland Cavaliers, despite a rocky start, are without a doubt amongst the elite in the Eastern Conference. They sport a nice mix of veteran and young talent and once fully healthy, their overall depth is some of the best in the league.
However, Tyrese Proctor, a second-round rookie out of Duke, is losing his footing in the rotation. The combo guard is averaging just 11.9 minutes per game thus far into the season. Against the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 28, Proctor did not even see the floor.
A large reason for the inconsistency in Proctor's role has been a logjam of guys in the backcourt since Darius Garland's return from toe injury. Between Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Lonzo Ball, Craig Porter Jr. and Sam Merrill, there are a lot of players vying for time.
The logjam doesn't tell the full story, as a lot of these guards have been in and out of the lineup. Porter Jr. has missed the past three of the last four games, Merrill the past six, and Ball rarely plays in back-to-backs. Plus, Garland still isn't 100 percent and has missed seven games since his season debut.
It's becoming an alarming trend that Proctor simply isn't in favor with Kenny Atkinson and is finding it difficult to land a steady rotation role with the Cavaliers. The reason it's an issue is Cleveland being well over the second apron. They are missing their first round picks in 2027 and 2029 due to the Mitchell trade.
A team that desperately needs to find cheap alternative bench options and doesn't have a ton of draft capital going forward needs to convert on second round picks.
Tyrese Proctor's blueprint has already been laid out for the Cavaliers
While it is admittedly somewhat rare to find elite production from second-round guards on elite teams in their rookie seasons, these players do exist. Max Christie of the Los Angeles Lakers, Ajay Mitchell of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Will Richard of the Golden State Warriors are solid examples from recent classes.
Christie's first season came for a Lakers squad in 2022-23 that went to the Western Conference Finals. While he didn't have a huge role, he had a larger one than Proctor has now.
The case can be stated that his experience as a rookie was key for his development into a very solid role player. In 2022-23, Christie averaged 12.5 minutes per game with three starts in 41 games.
It's a similar story for Mitchell, who was a rookie during last year's championship run for the Thunder. While he only played in 36 games in the regular season after a turf toe injury that sidelined him for roughly three months, he was a key contributor when he was out there.
Mitchell averaged 16.6 minutes per game. In the NBA Playoffs, an almost impossible place for low-round rookies to get time, he appeared in 12 games, averaging seven minutes per contest.
Richard is the most recent example. He was drafted alongside Proctor in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft. He has carved out a significant role with the Warriors, appearing in 19 games, and starting eight of them. Richard has averaged 18.4 minutes to go along with 8.4 points per game on 53.8 percent from the field.
Tyrese Proctor must prove to Cleveland why he deserves his chances
When it comes down to it, it is not just on the coaching staff to find time for him. Proctor, himself, has to begin to capitalize on his opportunities, no matter how sparingly they may come.
In the minutes he has played, Proctor just hasn't been good enough, shooting 32.5 percent from the field and 27.5 percent from three. His defense has also been very up-and-down. While he has a 38.5 percent defensive field goal percentage (a ridiculous number), he ranks second to last on the team in defensive box plus-minus and sports below average steal and block rates.
While a lot has been bad, there is some good. The only Cavaliers players to record a higher usage than Proctor so far have been Garland, Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and De'Andre Hunter. He has been tasked with a lot in the minutes he's out there.
He also has a lower turnover rate than all five of the aforementioned players. That suggests that he's a competent decision-maker.
Proctor was a career 36.5 percent three-point shooter at Duke, so that should inspire some confidence that the shot will eventually come around. Only time and experience will theoretically help him improve on the defensive end.
Those two things combined with the already promising potential as a secondary playmaker will make the finished product a lot prettier for Proctor. That will give the Cavaliers a much needed boost in their rotation.