‘A lot of signs’ point toward ‘big season’ for De’Andre Hunter, per insider

After forward De’Andre Hunter was one of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ top complementary players next to their “core four” last season following a trade, one insider thinks he’s in for a key campaign in a Cavaliers uniform.

Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor said that “a lot of signs” point toward Hunter enjoying a “big season” with a “very important role” in what will go down as his first full season with the team. It’s of note that Fedor made his comments following the opening day of Cleveland’s training camp.

“The biggest takeaway that I had from today, guys, is that whether it’s things that are said, things that we see or even just De’Andre speaking on his own, a lot of signs are pointing to De’Andre having a big season for the Cavs and having a very, very important role,” Fedor said.

Fedor’s words come not long after he shared that Hunter would prefer to start for the Cavaliers in the coming season. He has a golden opportunity to do just that, at least to begin the new season, with forward Max Strus set to miss time to begin the campaign. Strus suffered a Jones fracture during offseason training that will impact his availability after he was on the shelf for Cleveland at the start of the 2024-25 season as well.

Strus has started the lion’s share of the games he’s suited up in for the Cavaliers, and with him unavailable for a little while, Hunter sticks out as an ideal candidate to fill the 29-year-old’s shoes in the opening lineup.

Hunter may be able to plug the hole of Strus’ absence from a 3-point shooting standpoint and then some if his numbers shooting the ball from deep with the Cavaliers last season are of any indication. An impressive 42.6 percent of Hunter’s 3s found the bottom of the net across 27 regular-season contests with Cleveland, and he upped his 3-point percentage to 46.2 in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

If head coach Kenny Atkinson opts to start Hunter at the small forward spot and he proves to be incredibly valuable to Cleveland’s success in a larger role, maybe he will pass Strus in the pecking order and become the team’s de facto starter at the position. However, Strus’ game may have something to say about that, especially if he plays well upon returning.