The Cleveland Cavaliers have a new starter.
De’Andre Hunter helped set the tone early with his defense vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves.
His shot was a little off to start the game, but he eventually found his groove after shaking off the jitters.
Following his debut, the former Atlanta Hawks forward tipped his hat to his teammates for helping him get his groove going and acclimated to the team (via Spencer Davies):
“It is pretty seamless when you have teammates like Don, DG and Evan, guys that are unselfish, guys that are really talented. I think it’ll be pretty easy for me,” he said.
“It is pretty seamless when you have teammates like Don, DG and Evan, guys that are unselfish, guys that are really talented. I think it'll be pretty easy for me.”
De’Andre Hunter after his first game with the #Cavs. Evan Mobley, Kenny Atkinson and Donovan Mitchell chime in too. pic.twitter.com/rRXtbXVSK1
— Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) February 11, 2025
Hunter finished the game with 12 points on 3-of-7 from the floor.
He added three three-pointers, one rebound, and one steal.
However, his impact went way beyond the stat sheet.
As he usually does, he didn’t hesitate to check Anthony Edwards during long stretches, and that was huge for the Cavs.
Players like Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland tend to struggle against athletic players who can easily split up the defense like Edwards does, but Hunter is laterally quick enough to stay in front of him.
Granted, Edwards still went off for 44 points, but the bulk of his production came with the game already out of reach, and the Cavs’ zone defense kept everybody else in check.
The Cavaliers only have one more game before the All-Star break, and they will be off for more than a week after that.
That should give Hunter more than enough time to keep soaking in information and embracing the concepts of Kenny Atkinson’s offense.
This could become a season-defining move for a team that was already dominating like few others have in the past.
NEXT: Fans React To Cavs' Win Over Timberwolves
