{"id":158982,"date":"2025-09-14T19:52:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-14T23:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=158982"},"modified":"2025-09-14T19:52:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-14T23:52:13","slug":"cavs-planning-key-starting-lineup-change-deandre-hunter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/09\/14\/cavs-planning-key-starting-lineup-change-deandre-hunter\/","title":{"rendered":"Cavs Planning To Make Key Starting Lineup Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Cleveland Cavaliers know all about roller coasters. No, that\u2019s not because they\u2019re the home of popular Cedar Point. Since the franchise\u2019s inception in 1970, they\u2019ve experienced mountainous peaks and nearly bottomless valleys. In just the last five years, they\u2019ve gone from one of the NBA\u2019s worst teams to one of their best.<\/p>\n

With that being said, what goes up has to come down and the Cavs are preparing for a trap season<\/a>. Not only did they set an unfathomably high bar to reach after winning 64 games in 2024-25, they have multiple key players recovering from surgery. The good thing is that they have a plan.<\/p>\n

Cavs Planning To Insert De\u2019Andre Hunter In Starting Lineup<\/h2>\n

Next season, \u201cthe starting small forward<\/a>\u2026will be\u201d six-year pro De\u2019Andre Hunter<\/a>, cleveland.com\u2019s Terry Pluto begins. Though adding the caveat \u201cunless there is a change of plans,\u201d the rationale behind the move is logical: Max Strus<\/a> \u2014who has started in 128 of the 141 games he\u2019s played with Cleveland (playoffs included) \u2014 will be out for a few months after sustaining a Jones fracture<\/a> in late August.<\/p>\n

In truth, the Cavs \u201calready were looking at\u201d starting Hunter \u201cbefore\u201d Strus was sidelined. As Hunter averaged a disappointing 9.0 points per game on 36.7 percent shooting from the field (30.8 percent from 3) in the Cleveland\u2019s series against the Indiana Pacers last postseason, Pluto takes care to note that he was dealing with a finger injury. he \u201clooked great\u201d during the Cavs summer workouts.<\/p>\n

There are other reasons to believe that starting Hunter over Strus is the correct path for Cleveland to take.<\/p>\n

Size Matters<\/h3>\n

What jumps off the page and the screen is that Hunter has much more suitable size for a small forward.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Feb 21, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (1) and forward De’Andre Hunter (12) goes for a loose ball against New York Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa (5) during the first half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At 6-foot-8 and 225 pounds, he\u2019s three inches taller than Strus and outweighs him by 10 pounds. His 7-foot-2 wingspan is 6.5 inches longer than Strus\u2019s, which is even more substantial. With that in mind, perhaps the primary reason that the Cavs traded for Hunter was that they were having problems guarding longer wings.<\/p>\n

Hunter starting over Strus allows them to avoid going into 2025-26 facing the same obstacle that they did in 2024-25.<\/p>\n

Afterburners<\/h3>\n

Taking 72.8 percent of his career field goal attempts from 3, Strus is rightfully regarded as a 3-point specialist.<\/p>\n

\n

Crisp ball movement from the Cavs…<\/p>\n

All 5 guys touching it on way to a Max Strus 3!<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa Cavs-Magic on TNT pic.twitter.com\/PGcs7ZfwjM<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NBA (@NBA) February 26, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n