De’Andre Hunter’s time in Cleveland has been a bit of a mystery box - promising on paper, but still largely unopened. Since arriving, he’s logged 1,853 minutes across regular season and playoff action.
But only 96 of those have come alongside the Cavaliers’ core four: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. That’s not a typo.
Less than 100 minutes with the team’s foundational pieces. And here’s the kicker - in those limited minutes, the group has outscored opponents by 40 points over the last two seasons.
So why haven’t we seen more of it?
When the Cavs brought in Hunter last season, the logic was clear. He offered a theoretical fit that made a lot of sense - a versatile wing who could defend, space the floor, and complement the star power already in place.
But instead of testing that theory, head coach Kenny Atkinson opted to keep Max Strus as the starting small forward. At the time, that was a justifiable move.
Strus had built chemistry with the starters, and continuity matters. But fast forward to now, and Strus hasn’t even played a game this season.
The decision to keep Hunter out of that starting group is a lot harder to explain.
After a rough overtime loss to Charlotte in mid-December - a game where Hunter clearly struggled - Atkinson pivoted, moving him back to a sixth-man role where he’d previously found success. That made sense in the moment.
But here’s the problem: in the 23 games Hunter has started, he’s only shared the floor with the core four in three of them. That’s not just a small sample - it’s barely a sample at all.
We’re approaching the one-year mark of Hunter’s time in Cleveland, and the Cavs still don’t have a real read on how their five most talented players function together. That’s a glaring blind spot, especially with the trade deadline looming.
No one’s saying Hunter has to be in the starting five. There’s a strong case for Dean Wade in that role, particularly given his defensive impact.
But before you make any long-term decisions - whether it’s keeping Hunter, moving him, or leaning on him in a playoff series - you need to see what he looks like next to the guys who matter most.
Because let’s be real: if this group stays intact through the deadline, there’s a good chance Atkinson will want to put his best five on the floor at some point during the postseason. That’s not the time to experiment. You want to know what that lineup can do before the stakes get that high.
So no, it’s not about forcing Hunter into the starting lineup just for the sake of it. But in a season where the Cavs have struggled to find consistent, winning combinations, it feels like a missed opportunity not to give that five-man unit a longer look.
Through 13 games this season where the core four have all suited up, that group - with Hunter - has only appeared in six of them. That’s not enough.
The Cavs don’t need to overhaul their rotation. But they do need clarity. And the only way to get it is by giving Hunter a real shot to show whether he can be part of this team’s best version of itself.