The Cleveland Cavaliers will be without their starting small forward from last year, Max Strus, for the beginning of the regular season. Strus injured his left foot at the end of August. That will sideline him for three to four months, which would keep him from returning until the end of December at the earliest. Someone will need to fill that opening until he’s healthy again.
Hunter conceptually fits great alongside the other pieces of the core four. His off-ball shooting is lethal as he shot 43.1% on catch-and-shoot threes last season when he was in a Cavaliers uniform. The quality of those looks would theoretically increase if he’s playing alongside the starters, which is something he hardly did last year.
Defense, and particularly defensive rebounding, have been and will likely continue to be concerns for Hunter. He is a poor rebounder for someone of his size, 6’8”, but that shouldn’t be as much of an issue if he isn’t playing the four like he was last season, thanks to the addition of Larry Nance Jr.
Even though he isn’t someone who’s best suited to defend the four, he can hold his own when he’s switched onto a bigger forward. Doing so with Jarrett Allen and/or Evan Mobley in a help position makes that switch a little easier.
We’ll see if head coach Kenny Atkinson decides to go with Hunter and Merrill in the starting unit when the season begins in just over a month. A lot can change between now and then. But for now, going with a starting unit of Mitchell, Merrill, Hunter, Mobley, and Allen would make sense.