CHICAGO — The floundering Cavs are making a lineup change.
Sources tell cleveland.com that starting small forward De’Andre Hunter will move to the bench Wednesday night against the Chicago Bulls — and for the foreseeable future.
Rugged second-year swingman Jaylon Tyson, who has earned repeated praise from coaches and teammates, will take over Hunter’s old spot.
Hunter, who has started the first 23 games that he has appeared in, continues to struggle in a starting role, with two single-digit scoring performances in the past three games. Sources say this move, which was compared to a baseball player moving further down in the lineup, is not only intended to stabilize Cleveland’s inconsistent — and thinned-out — bench but it is expected to help Hunter find his comfort zone once again. He will be back in the role that he manned in 2024-25, which led to a career campaign split between Atlanta and Cleveland.
As a result of Max Strus’ offseason foot injury and a subsequent conversation with Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson about Hunter’s best role, the 28-year-old swingman was named the Opening Night starter. He has been a fixture of that ever-changing group. But the fit hasn’t been right, and with the Cavaliers mired in a funk, with six losses in the last nine games, Atkinson opted to make the change. as
In 23 games this season, Hunter is averaging 15.4 points on 42.9% from the field and 30.3% from 3-point range.