Cleveland Cavaliers rookie out for second-straight game due to personal reasons

Despite a rocky start to the 2025-26 season, the Cleveland Cavaliers are four games above .500.

On Friday, Dec. 5, the Cavaliers played host to the San Antonio Spurs, downing them 130-117, at Rocket Arena. That victory gave the team its 14th win on the season. Through many injuries and inconsistencies, plenty of players have stepped up to fill voids on the roster.

However, one player who's quietly been left out of conversations as an important contributor has been rookie guard Tyrese Proctor. He's currently averaging 12 minutes a night on numbers of 5.6 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists. Those are important lines to put up in limited minutes as a first-year professional.

But, the Cavaliers will play a second-consecutive game with Proctor ruled out due to personal issues.

Cavs injury report:

Out:
Jarrett Allen (Finger)
Sam Merrill (Right Hand)
Max Strus (Foot)
Larry Nance Jr (Right Calf)
Lonzo Ball (Injury management)
Tyrese Proctor (Personal)#LetEmKnow
— Mack Perry (@DevaronPerry) December 6, 2025

He did not play in Friday night's matchup against the Spurs, with his minutes going to Craig Porter Jr. and Lonzo Ball, both of whom ended up with over 20 minutes played off the bench. Ball struggled, with marks of two points, six rebounds and five assists, while Porter Jr. looked sharp with 11 points, seven rebounds, one assist and two steals.

Along with Proctor, Cleveland's injury struggles remain as center Jarrett Allen, forward Larry Nance Jr., and guards Sam Merrill, Max Strus and Ball will remain out of the lineup. Once again, Cleveland will have to turn to young reserves to get contributions off the bench.

In Friday night's win, outside of superstar guard Donovan Mitchell, second-year professional Jaylon Tyson was one of the team's leading contributors. He shot an incredible 11-of-15 from the field and 2-of-4 from three-point range for 24 points.

He also tacked on six rebounds, two assists and two blocks to make his presence known on both sides of the ball. He finished the night with a plus-minus of +16.

Proctor, who's in a similar situation as Tyson was last season, can learn from what the second-year is doing in his time on the court: taking advantage of opportunities. If Proctor can continue to improve as the year moves forward, he could be relied upon to step up off the bench and provide a spark as the Cavaliers look for a playoff push.

However, for now, the team just hopes to see him return back to the bench when his personal issues conclude.

The Cavaliers, at a mark of 14-10, and the Warriors, who are just a game below .500 at an 11-12 record, will clash from Rocket Arena with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m. EST.

This will be the first meeting between the two sides since Dec. 30, 2024. The Cavaliers won that matchup, 113-95, and have won the last four games.