De'Andre Hunter was an exciting addition for the Cleveland Cavaliers before last year's NBA trade deadline. The initial look in wine and gold was promising. However, there is plenty of reason to believe that the 2025-26 campaign can be even better, particularly on the defensive end.
Before his arrival in Cleveland, Hunter spent the entirety of his NBA career with the Atlanta Hawks. It is safe to say that the defensive schemes played with his former team are much different than the ones in his new environment.
Hunter, for his part, settled into his role nicely with the Cavaliers, considering the midseason transition. However, getting the opportunity to truly maximize the new personnel should allow for a transformative defensive campaign in the upcoming season.
"Having a full training camp in Cleveland, alongside Jarrett Allen, alongside Evan Mobley, I think that defensively we we will see a different version of DeAndre Hunter," Danny Cunningham stated during an appearance on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show.
De'Andre Hunter ready to evolve with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen
Hunter certainly has the frame of someone who can be an impactful player on the defensive end. Despite that, the former Hawks forward has never been someone who shines when it comes to stocks (steals and blocks).
Cunningham believed there was an understandable reason for this, and it all comes down to who was around Hunter. It is certainly difficult to play a risk-taking brand of defensive basketball when sharing the court with players like Trae Young in Atlanta.
Cleveland offers a much different environment. Mobley and Allen are two of the most reliable sources of backline support that a defender can ask for. The pair of elite defensive big men have no issues masking the shortcomings on the perimeter and altering offensive possessions following a blow-by.
The Cavaliers interior duo helped lead the team to a top 10 unit in 2024-25. Cleveland finished ranking 8th in the defensive rating category, registering 111.8 last season. Mobley was even rewarded with a Defensive Player of the Year trophy for his troubles.
When it comes to Hunter, having those two should be an invitation to gamble. Getting beat on an attempt to jump a passing lane, or sell out for a block, does not have the same kind of consequences in Cleveland that it would in Atlanta.
Hunter has never averaged more than 1.3 when it comes to his combined steals and blocks in a regular season campaign. That number also comes from the 2020-21 season, in which the young Hawks forward only played 23 games for Atlanta.
Developing more familiarity with Mobley and Allen in Cavaliers training camp before the 2025-26 NBA season should allow Hunter to understand the kind of advantage those two offer him. The 27-year-old would be wise to capitalize.