CLEVELAND, Ohio — When the Cavs acquired De’Andre Hunter, the vision was clear: add a dynamic two-way wing who could space the floor, defend multiple positions, and elevate the team’s championship ceiling. Instead, the Cavs are getting a player who, according to the latest Wine and Gold Talk podcast, looks like he’s “lost his puppy.”
In a discussion following the Cavs’ 136-125 loss to the Chicago Bulls, cleveland.com beat reporter Chris Fedor didn’t hold back when analyzing Hunter’s alarming regression.
“I turned to somebody tonight and I said like, did he lose his Puppy or something? Like, did something happen with him from a personal standpoint? Because he just didn’t look engaged and he looks completely lost out there. There’s no joy coming from him,” Fedor described, contrasting Hunter’s current demeanor with the happier player who found chemistry with teammates last season.
The numbers tell part of the story, but Hunter’s body language tells the rest.
In the fourth quarter of the Bulls game alone, Hunter was a minus-11 in just six minutes of play, yet coach Kenny Atkinson continued to rely on him over younger, more energetic options who were having better games.
Cleveland.com columnist Jimmy Watkins delivered the most scathing assessment: “He’s forcing shots, he’s pressing. It’s clearly bleeding over into his defense ... He’s lost his will to play hard.”
That’s the crux of the issue — Hunter’s offensive struggles might be temporary, but the effort problems are unacceptable. Watkins described Hunter as a “zombie” on the court, floating through games while being tasked with guarding the opponent’s best player.
One specific defensive possession highlighted on the podcast revealed the depth of the problem. Hunter was observed merely turning his body back and forth as Bulls players collected multiple offensive rebounds around him, as “his feet barely moved other than turning each way.”
This puts Atkinson in an impossible position. As Watkins explained on the podcast, there’s a delicate balance between benching Hunter for his poor play versus potentially “losing him” for the season by cutting his minutes further. Atkinson has already shown willingness to bench Hunter at critical moments, sitting him for an entire overtime period in a recent game.
What makes Hunter’s struggles particularly devastating is that he was supposed to be the fifth piece of a new “core five” in Cleveland. When injuries mount, as they have for the Cavs, role players must step up. Instead, as Fedor emphasized, “They need more from De’Andre Hunter. If we want to circle somebody, that’s the guy. That’s the guy.”
The organization now faces tough questions: Is Hunter simply in a slump that he’ll eventually break out of? Or is this a deeper issue that requires a more drastic solution before it infects the team’s already fragile culture?
For a team built on defensive identity and two-way players, Hunter’s complete disengagement represents a crisis point that goes beyond missed shots. It’s about competitive spirit and professional pride.
For an unvarnished look at DeAndre Hunter’s struggles and what they mean for the Cavaliers’ future, check out the full Wine and Gold Talk podcast episode where Fedor, Watkins, and host Ethan Sands break down the situation in brutal detail.
Here’s the podcast for this week: