The Cleveland Cavaliers asked a lot of De'Andre Hunter in his debut for the team.
Starting small forward Max Strus was a late scratch due to injury, and with Dean Wade also sidelined it was Hunter elevated directly into the starting lineup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
His assignment to start the game? None other than All-Star guard Anthony Edwards, who had scored a combined 90 points in his last two games. Hunter's task was to lock down Edwards, while also playing in a new defensive scheme, while also trying to find his place offensively in a new system alongside three All-Star teammates of his own.
No one would have blamed Hunter for a shaky debut; and indeed, a cursory glance of the box score would not be overly impressing. He finished the game 3-for-7 from the field with 12 points and five fouls. Yet to see the value he brought to the Cavaliers, you have only to look at the first seven minutes of the game.
The Cavaliers struggled to score to start the game, which makes sense given the opponent. The Timberwolves have the reigning Defensive Player of the Year at center, with All-Defense candidates across the perimeter: Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. They had the horses to match up with the Cavs.
On the other end of the court, the Timberwolves were trusting in Anthony Edwards to generate enough offense to complement the stout defense. The problem with that plan was that De'Andre Hunter was defending Edwards from the very start.
De'Andre Hunter was dominant defensively to start the game
For seven minutes of game time, Hunter was on the court and his primary assignment was defending Edwards. He was occasionally switched off of him, but he deserves the lion's share of the credit. The Timberwolves missed their first 16 shots of the game, including an 0-for-6 start from Edwards. On four of those shots it was Hunter defending him and, at least in part, forcing the miss.
In those seven minutes to open the game he also wrestled the ball away from Rudy Gobert after a rebound, dug in on an Edwards drive while defending Jaden McDaniels and directed him right into Evan Mobley's long arms to steal the ball, and was comfortable switching onto center Naz Reid and forcing a miss from tight defense on the perimeter.
Hunter didn't score during those seven minutes -- the shot-making would come later -- but his impact was obvious and meaningful for the Cavaliers. They got out to a 16-0 start -- 13-0 with Hunter on the court for his first stint -- completely smothering the Timberwolves. Any 16-0 run includes a little bit of luck with opponent shooting, but in large part the Cavaliers locked in and forced a good team to go completely cold.
Well ... that was some tremendous defense from #Cavs newcomer De'Andre Hunter in his first stint. But now he heads to the bench with two fouls.
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) February 11, 2025
To his credit, Anthony Edwards got going. After missing eight of his first nine shots, Edwards came alive and made 10 of his next 11, and ultimately would put up 44 points on the night. He was essentially outscoring the rest of his team combined at one point. Even when he found his shot, the Cavaliers prevented the rest of the team from truly making a run.
De'Andre Hunter will have even better nights as a scorer, although his 3-for-4 shooting and obvious perimeter gravity made an impact from the start. He got in foul trouble during the game, including two questionable calls that initially sent him to the bench. He will learn the schemes and the plays and gain chemistry with his teammates.
To start his Cleveland career, however, Hunter had a truly outstanding seven minutes of defense, bringing exactly what the Cavaliers hoped he would bring when they traded for him.