De’Andre Hunter showed why the Cavs traded for him: ‘What we envisioned’..
Hunter could be the missing piece in Cleveland.
Jackson Flickinger is a lawyer who’s been blogging about the Cavs for a decade (including as a member of the credentialed local media) and the editor-in-chief of Fear the Sword.
One thing was clear within the first couple minutes of the Cleveland Cavaliers win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night: The Cavs finally have length on the wing with De’Andre Hunter.
That showed through when the Cavaliers put together one of their best defensive quarters to open the game. The combination of Hunter’s size as an on-ball and help defender paired with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley roaming the back line made Cleveland’s defense nearly impenetrable as they surrendered just 12 points in the first quarter.
“[It was] kind of what we envisioned,” said head coach Kenny Atkinson about what Hunter was able to provide. “Our physicality, his activity, you know, size. You just felt it.”
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Hunter received the loudest cheers of any Cavalier during the opening intros. He then received a near-standing ovation after the first timeout when he was introduced again as the newest member of the team.
It was quite the welcome for someone who’d yet to register a point for the Cavaliers.
“Oh it was great,” Hunter said afterward when asked about the reception. “[It’s] always good to feel love, especially as a player. You know, I can’t thank them enough.”
Hunter had a good, but not great showing. He struggled to get into a rhythm due to foul trouble early and the game being so one-sided. Minnesota never got the deficit under 15 points after midway through the first quarter.
Still, Hunter provided some outside shooting as he went 3-4 from deep for 12 points in 23 minutes of play in addition to being a versatile defender. It was exactly what you wanted to see from his debut.
Despite the big-name moves at the deadline, the Cavaliers were the only team in the top three positions in either conference to trade for a rotation piece at the deadline.
“All the credit goes to Koby [Altman],” Atkinson said. “He was aggressive and I second it. You know, let’s go for it. It takes an aggressive GM to do that. We could’ve easily stayed pat.”
It was a move that seemed to come as a surprise to Hunter.
“You know, I didn’t think it was gonna happen honestly,” Hunter said. “Especially since they had the best record. I didn’t think they needed any help. But like I said, I’m not coming here to try to change anything. I’m just trying to add my skill set to what they already have.”
The next challenge will be getting Hunter assimilated with the roster both now and when they’re fully healthy.
“I think it’ll be pretty easy,” Hunter said about the adjustment. “When you have teammates like Don, DG, and Evan, you know, guys that are unselfish, guys that are really talented, I think it’ll be pretty easy for me.”
Atkinson may not see things as simply, but the possibilities that adding someone with Hunter’s skill set opens up options this roster didn’t previously have.
“We got to integrate Dean [Wade] and Isaac [Okoro] too,” Atkinson said. “Where does [Hunter] fit with them? Is he [a] 2,3,4? Maybe a small ball five? You know, with his [talent] you’re thinking of all the possibilities.”
It was easy to see why Altman made the move on Monday. The win over Minnesota was just a glimpse of how good this team can be with Hunter out there despite missing three rotation players and only having him for one practice.
Hunter has the potential to fit a hole that has been on this team for years. We’ll see whether he can fill that void and what their ceiling is if he can do so.
“I mean, what’s possible is a championship,” said Evan Mobley. “I feel like we have that caliber team and we’re on that track right now. So that’s the whole goal. And adding a player like that, I feel like it just boosts it even more.”
