New Cavaliers reports reveals how much the starters will play in the preseason

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be playing the starters throughout these first few games as they get back into the season, according to Sam Amico.

With Darius Garland and Max Strus out for the first few months of the season, you should expect to see more playtime for the rookies and second year players as this preseason begins.

There has been a lot of praise being given to Lonzo Ball in training camp, but it was announced by the team he would be playing on a minutes restriction to start the season and would also not be playing in back to backs.

So look out for Cavs second round pick Tyrese Proctor to get time early on to show himself off to the team and the fans. Proctor has spoken highly of Cleveland in interviews and it seems he is eager to play.

Tyrese Proctor in a recent interview:

“I've been loving it here ever since I got drafted. First, with the phone call with the coaches, and then everyone's been so welcoming. It's been great. Everyone's all about the work and we're all cool off the court." pic.twitter.com/WNidVD8Sxi
— SleeperCavs (@SleeperCleCavs) October 4, 2025

Second year player Jaylon Tyson and returning Cavalier Larry Nance Jr. may also be eyeing more minutes this season with the injury of Max Strus. Although neither man may bring the offensive capabilities that Strus has, Tyson and Nance are 3&D wings that can help off the bench where the defense was lacking last season.

Cleveland also added Killian Hayes to the team this offseason along with Ball and Proctor. Add him into the mix of the backup point guard conversation when Garland returns form injury.

Even though Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson stated that the starters were going to play in the preseason, it's fair to expect them to have a more prominent role in the two later games where they travel to Boston to take on the Celtics and in the preseason finale against the Detroit Pistons at home.

The first game of the year comes against Ball's former team in the Chicago Bulls. This offseason Chicago traded Ball for small forward Isaac Okoro, so we will also get a look at the former Cavalier in action as well.

These are 4 games that could be tough for Cleveland, despite the fact that they topped the Eastern Conference just a season ago. The Bulls and Pistons beat the Cavs in their preseason matchups last year as the Cavs had gone 0-4 in last season's preseason matchups.

Cleveland's starts could get some run, but keep an eye out on the young players on the roster and new additions to get acclimated into Atkinson's system.

The preseason kicks off on Tuesday at 7 p.m. against the Bulls.