CLEVELAND, Ohio — Just an hour before tipoff, the Cavs added De’Andre Hunter to the injury report with an illness that has been matriculating through the locker room, leaving the team without one of its key wings for Wednesday night’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns.
Hunter’s absence marks a missed opportunity not only on the court.
The 28-year-old worked closely with former Cavs assistant coach DeMarre Carroll last year in a player-development capacity. Carroll, known for his defensive acumen and knowledge of physicality throughout the NBA, brought a rare combination of mentorship and on-court intelligence to Cleveland’s wings.
That guidance has helped Hunter refine his game and tools that could have been put to the test against a Suns squad now guided, indirectly, by the man who once helped shape his role in Cleveland.
Carroll’s journey now has him out west, joining Jordan Ott’s coaching staff.
But the Cavs are now focused on the task of filling the void with Hunter unavailable.
Hunter has long been a presence capable of matching the league’s harder-playing wings, and against scorers like Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks, his combination of length, strength and willingness to battle in the trenches will be missed.
“To me, the Suns are the hardest playing team in the league right now,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said pregame. “They play harder than anybody. That’s what I see. I’m not at the game, but it jumps off the page.”
Without Hunter, Cleveland will have to find those minutes and that energy elsewhere — and it’s likely to fall to players like Jaylon Tyson, Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Lonzo Ball to step in, shoulder some of the physical load, and mediate the impact of his absence.
Tyson, bringing effort, energy and toughness will need to lock in on assignments while helping the team maintain cohesion. Tomlin, with his defensive versatility, will be called on to navigate the Suns’ length and pace. Ball will need to bring both playmaking and perimeter defense to ensure Phoenix doesn’t exploit the wing mismatch.
Each possession will carry extra weight, each screen set and closeout a test of focus, conditioning and resilience. This isn’t a strategic adjustment; it’s a call for grit, an invitation for the Cavs’ supporting cast to prove they can absorb the hard-nosed style Hunter normally provides.
The hope is that Hunter’s illness is short-lived and that he can return early in the New Year, restoring a key piece of Cleveland’s physical identity.
In the meantime, the outcome of this game will hinge as much on these individual bursts of effort and chess-like coaching adjustments as it will on pure athletic execution — a reminder that in basketball, the stories that define a night often unfold in the spaces between points, not just on the scoreboard.