Not long after Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com publicly argued that the Cleveland Cavaliers should reconsider De’Andre Hunter’s place in the starting lineup, the team followed through with that adjustment.
Cleveland moved Hunter to the bench on Wednesday, a decision Fedor later detailed in a separate report.
The immediate results were underwhelming. The revised starting group, featuring Jaylon Tyson in Hunter’s role, struggled to gain traction and was outscored by eight points over 11 minutes during a loss to the Chicago Bulls.
Despite that shaky debut, league and team sources told Fedor the Cavaliers are not viewing the change as a short-term experiment.
Instead, Cleveland intends to give the new lineup time to breathe, believing the move could help balance the rotation more effectively.
Internally, there is optimism that shifting Hunter back into a reserve role will strengthen the second unit and allow him to rediscover the rhythm he showed last season, when he was more productive and comfortable coming off the bench.
Hunter has played 7 seasons for the Hawks and Cavaliers. He has averaged 14.8 points and 4.1 rebounds in 352 regular-season games.
Central Notes: Bucks, Cavs, Hunter, Buzelis, Mathurin https://t.co/X3Gzwqmzat pic.twitter.com/qSC73bdK0N
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) December 19, 2025
