The Cleveland Cavaliers picked up one of the most impressive wins of their season so far on Saturday night. They took down the Dallas Mavericks without Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, or Peyton Watson available. How? Tyrese Proctor. He was absolutely incredible, and it’s time for the Cavs to consider letting Proctor take some of Harden’s minutes.
For the past few games, Proctor has been one of the Cavaliers’ best players. He’s been giving them consistent minutes. And so far this season, Harden hasn’t been what the Cavs need him to be. At least, not on an every-night basis. So, even though Harden is Harden, Proctor deserves more minutes.
Proctor has been great, and it’s time for the Cavaliers to act like it.
Tyrese Proctor is slowly earning minutes over James Harden
After a solid rookie season, Proctor has been playing more minutes this season. And lately, his playing time has seen a pretty decent spike, which makes sense.
But on Saturday night, Proctor proved just how impactful he can be when given the chance to play heavy minutes. He led the star-less Cavaliers to a big-time win over the Mavericks.
Proctor played a team-high 34:05 against the Mavericks. He finished the night with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists while shooting 10-of-19 from the field and 4-of-13 from beyond the three-point arc.
It wasn’t his first great game of the season, either. In fact, Proctor has been playing well for a while now. This was merely the latest in a string of impressive performances.
Over the course of his last three games, Proctor has averaged 20.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists while shooting 57.5% from the field and 42.9% from deep on 9.3 3-point attempts per contest.
Meanwhile, Harden hasn’t been performing very well this season. It’s been a rough year. His efficiency has been absolutely brutal, and the Cavaliers might need to replace some of his minutes with Proctor’s.
It’s a tough concept to fully consider, especially because of how much money Harden makes. But right now, Proctor is just playing better. So, maybe Kenny Atkinson needs to let the young gun stay on the floor.
Harden is still important. He’s an elite playmaker and tough shot-maker at times. But Proctor is on fire. And sometimes, you just have to ride the wave.
So, as Proctor continues to dominate, it’s making it harder and harder to keep him on the bench and Harden on the court.
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