The Cavaliers are leaning hard on internal growth this season, and that puts a spotlight on the young guards fighting for minutes. With the moves needed to bring in Peyton Watson and extend James Harden, Cleveland didn’t have much room left to patch holes with proven veteran depth. So the path forward is clear: somebody on the roster has to rise.
That makes the backup point guard battle one of the most interesting spots on the team, and Tyrese Proctor is right in the middle of it. The 6-foot-4 guard is trying to carve out a real role in 2026-27, and he’s starting to earn attention inside the building.
Donovan Mitchell is one of the people taking notice. During his latest media availability, the veteran guard and team leader spoke about what he’s seen from Proctor as the second-year pro works to separate himself from the pack.
That praise comes on the heels of Kenny Atkinson’s recent comments about Proctor adding serious weight to his frame. Sure, this is the time of year when teams tend to talk up young players, but the compliments around Proctor have become a regular thing.
The Australian National Team regular is coming off a rookie season in which he averaged 5.4 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists, while shooting about 41.3% from the field and 35.1% from three. He didn’t play in Summer League, but he did suit up for Australia in FIBA World Cup Qualifiers and put up 19.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while hitting 41.4% of his shots, including 40.0% from long range.
Whether that translates into a steady rotation spot under Atkinson is still to be seen. But there’s no question Proctor is making the case the hard way, and he’s giving it everything he’s got.
In Other News...
Cavaliers Sweep Exposed A Bigger Problem Than James Harden
The Cavaliers Eastern Conference Finals exit did more than end a season, it put a harsh spotlight on how fragile the margin can be when the shots stop falling and the mistakes pile up. Cleveland was swept by New York, and the series quickly turned into a lesson in how poor shooting, turnovers and uneven defense can overwhelm a team that looked dangerous only moments earlier. Even with talent spread across the roster, the issues that surfaced against the Knicks were bigger than any one player.
James Harden, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley all found themselves part of the same larger problem, as Cleveland struggled to match New Yorks physicality and consistency on both ends. The roster still has to answer real questions about how it is built, especially after recent moves aimed at bolstering perimeter defense, and this postseason made clear that the fixes need to show up fast. [Read more 🡒]
Which Cavs Player Really Defined No. 13 In Franchise History
The No. 13 jersey has had a surprisingly sturdy run in Cleveland, with a few different Cavaliers leaving their mark while wearing it. Johnny Moore brought veteran steadiness, John Amaechi had a brief but memorable stop, and Delonte West gave the number another familiar face during a competitive stretch for the franchise. Each left a different kind of footprint, which is part of what makes this number more than just a footnote in team history.
Tristan Thompson, though, is the name that keeps pulling the conversation back to the present era. His long run in Cleveland gave No. 13 a much more durable identity than most of the others who wore it, and his place among the franchises statistical leaders only reinforces how visible he was in that uniform. For a number that has already been tied to several distinct eras, the real question now is whether it eventually gets treated as worthy of a permanent place in Cavaliers lore. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Have A Defensive Problem That Could Haunt Them All Season
Clevelands early-season defensive picture got a little murkier with Dean Wade set to miss the opener, because his value has always been tied less to scoring than to the kind of matchup flexibility that lets a staff breathe easier on the back end. He gave the Cavaliers a steady answer against bigger wings and forwards, the sort of assignment that can tilt a night when the opponent leans on size and skill at the same time.
The problem is the league keeps asking more from that spot, with forwards getting stronger across the NBA and more capable of punishing mismatches if a team is one body short. Cleveland brought in Peyton Watson, but his game projects more naturally onto perimeter matchups than onto the leagues most physical forwards, which leaves the Cavaliers staring at a defensive question they may have to solve on the fly before the season settles in. [Read more 🡒]