The Cleveland Cavaliers came into this year with multiple young options at the backup point guard position, after a year in which they shuffled between Lonzo Ball and Dennis Schroder.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson has said multiple times that he wants to have a ten-man rotation this season, and that the youth they have off the bench is very exciting.
Meleek Thomas has seized the opportunity early on in the season, thanks to his energy and effort defensively, while also creating timely buckets for the Cavaliers. However, there is one other guard that deserves more love in Atkinson’s rotation.
The Cavs need to give Tyrese Proctor more minutes and opportunity
Proctor was supposed to spend most of his time in the G-League last season, but he ended up staying with the main roster for the entire year. He showed flashes of what he could be, but never nailed down a consistent rotation role.
This offseason, the feeling around the organization was that Proctor had a very strong summer. He put on muscle, worked on his offensive and defensive game, and he carried that momentum into training camp, where Atkinson said that it felt like he wasn’t getting screened.
Proctor had the skillset to play both guard positions, which is something that is very valuable when you have Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. That is something Cleveland should be leaning into.
In addition to that, in games where he's had minutes this season, Proctor made it count. He had five points and three assists in 11 minutes against the Nets, and he had seven points and six rebounds in 20 minutes against the Hawks.
He thrived defensively in both games, picking up full court, and staying agressive at the point of attack. Offensively, he made sure to work within the flow, but did not shy away from on-ball opportunities. He did benefit from Thomas missing the Atlanta game due to injury, but even then, Proctor showed that he belongs in the rotation.
It is still very early in the season and teams across the league are trying to figure out their rotations. For Cleveland though, the goal is contention, and in order to contend, you need depth and you need to develop that depth through the 82-game season. Proctor needs more chances to show that he can help this team because he does have the skill set. He just needs more opportunity.
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