The Cleveland Cavaliers have a new Sheriff in town.
De’Andre Hunter has fit like a glove with his new team, and it seems like he was the perfect pickup for this roster.
He’s meshing quite well on both ends of the floor, and it seems like his teammates have embraced him already.
That was evident after the win over the New York Knicks when Jerome cracked some jokes about their chemistry on the court and had a big piece of advice for Hunter (via Evan Dammarell):
“I just told him, ‘When in doubt, just give me the ball. Everything will take care of itself.’ He plays defense. I play offense,” he said.
“I just told him, ‘When in doubt, just give me the ball. Everything will take care of itself.’ He plays defense. I play offense.”#Cavs guard Ty Jerome cracking jokes on De’Andre Hunter’s fit with Cleveland.
— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) February 22, 2025
That advice worked out perfectly.
They combined for 35 points off the bench, and Hunter got some key stops to make life extremely hard for Tom Thibodeau’s team.
The Cavs had won 40+ games without Hunter this season and looked like a contender, but most of their losses exposed their need for an athletic wing who could play defense.
Defense is a lost art in today’s NBA, so it’s not like there were too many options to fill that need.
Fortunately for them, the Atlanta Hawks just happened to have a surplus of long forwards, and with Hunter’s history of injuries, they didn’t have to give up that much to get him.
Of course, availability will be a concern and something to keep an eye on going forward.
But for as long as Hunter is out there, this team will have another reliable floor-spacer and stopper, and he’s shown that he doesn’t mind coming off the bench if that’s what the team needs from him.
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