De'Andre Hunter is Exhibit A of how cruel the hands of fate can be. He played an essential role for the Atlanta Hawks, excelling on both ends of the floor and solidifying his status as one of the most important players on the team. Unfortunately, he also missed all but the first round during Atlanta's run to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals.
In the four years since, Hunter has raised his production and unfortunately watched team success elude him—a trend that could finally end in 2025-26.
The Cavaliers acquired Hunter ahead of the 2026 NBA trade deadline with the intention of solidifying a long-running weakness. They have All-Star players at four of the five traditional positions on the court, but small forward has proven to be a difficult spot to address.
Cleveland made a clear statement about its confidence in Hunter's ability to change the narrative when it parted with former lottery pick Isaac Okoro during the 2025 offseason.
The Cavaliers made an even bolder statement about its confidence in Hunter by watching Ty Jerome sign with the Memphis Grizzlies. Compounded by the foot surgery that Max Strus recently underwent, the time has never been better for Hunter to emerge as the starting small forward.
With the Cavaliers facing high expectations in a depleted Eastern Conference, Hunter can finally contribute to the team success he's been searching for.
De'Andre Hunter can finally make a deep postseason run with Cavaliers
Hunter is coming off of a career year on the offensive end of the floor. He averaged a career-best 17.0 points per game in 2024-25, also posting personal highs at 2.5 three-point field goals made per contest and 40.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Hunter averaged 19.0 points per game with the Hawks and 14.3 with the Cavaliers, but there's reason to believe he can recreate the former number's magic to some degree.
Hunter appeared in 27 of a possible 31 games with the Cavaliers, with two of them being the final regular season outings of the 2024-25 campaign. He played 30-plus minutes in just four of those showings, during which time he produced outings that included 32 and 23-point eruptions.
Hunter played 25 minutes in 13 of his 27 showings with the Cavaliers, averaging 15.7 points in 28.4 minutes per game—shooting at a clip of .457/.422/.804.
With an increase in playing time and touches, there's every reason to believe that Hunter can maintain that efficiency and increase his volume. He's buried 38.2 percent of his three-point field goals over the past four seasons, and has increased his points per 36 minutes between each of the past three.
Trending upward and playing on a team with four All-Stars and multiple playmakers should only benefit Hunter, particularly at a position of weakness.
With Jerome removed from the equation, Hunter will need to prove he can provide supplementary offensive production. With Okoro gone and Strus injured, the pressure will be even higher for him to excel in a 3-and-D capacity.
If Hunter proves up to the task, then the Cavaliers should be able to build upon a 64-win season in 2024-25 by getting to the Conference Finals in 2025-26.