The Cleveland Cavaliers traded for De'Andre Hunter to try and win an NBA championship.
But they simply aren't using the uber-talented wing in a way that takes advantage of that deal.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson still won't start Hunter. He still limits his minutes off the bench.
It doesn't make any sense.
Hunter is one of the best two-way players in the entire NBA. He deserves to play 36 minutes a night in the playoffs.
He played 29 minutes on Sunday night in the loss to the Pacers. Proving his value, he was a +8 in his time on the floor, while none of Cleveland's starters had a positive plus/minus.
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Hunter shoots 3s as well as Max Strus, the guy who starts over him. He defends as well as Dean Wade, a guy who gets bench minutes in place of him.
When the Cavs got Hunter, he had been coming off the Hawks' bench, so maybe they figured they'd keep him there for an initial comfort level.
But it seemed obvious that eventually Hunter would break into the starting lineup.
Even with Darius Garland out, Hunter has continued to come off the bench.
It limits everything Cleveland can do, and if the Cavs want to come back after dropping Game 1 to the Pacers, they need a change.
Hunter needs to start. He needs to play as many minutes as Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley.
That's not only the path to Cleveland beating the Pacers. It's the only path to an NBA title for the Cavs.
Without Hunter fully unleashed, the Cavs won't reach their massive potential.
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