Analyst Exposes Budding Problem for Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers may have a problem to address with the NBA playoffs right around the corner.

Feb 21, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts during the second half against the New York Knicks at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers have not shown any signs of slowing down, as they have come roaring out of the All-Star break and have put together an eight-game winning streak overall.

The Cavaliers are comfortably ahead for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and they may ultimately beat out the Oklahoma City Thunder for the best record in the NBA overall.

Everything appears rosy for Cleveland right now, but do some problems lie ahead?

Josh Cornelissen of King James Gospel has identified a potential issue that could affect the Cavs moving into the playoffs, and while most teams would love to have this "problem," it's something that head coach Kenny Atkinson needs to get sorted out, nonetheless.

The quandary is whether Atkinson should start Max Strus or De'Andre Hunter?

"Once the playoffs begin, however, Atkinson needs to have an answer," Cornelissen wrote. "Does he start Max Strus, who is a part of the best starting 5 in the entire NBA and who has been the starter when healthy for the past two seasons? ... On the other hand, De'Andre Hunter was acquired because he is taller, longer and a better high-volume shooter than Strus; essentially, he is better equipped for the role that Strus fills."

One of the primary reasons why the Cavs acquired Hunter at the NBA trade deadline was because he possesses the ability to guard some of the bigger wings and tweener forwards, like Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum, for example.

Cornelissen predicts that Strus will ultimately keep his starting job, which makes sense for the sake of continuity. But he feels that the Cavaliers may feature different closing lineups, which will obviously depend on matchups.

Either way, having too much depth is generally never a bad thing, so Atkinson will surely find a way to work things out.

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