Cleveland Cavaliers starting forward De'Andre Hunter has been officially listed as questionable for the team's season opener against the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said after Tuesday's practice that Hunter could do 3-on-3 practice for Cleveland, who didn't do much on a travel day before the first game of the year.
“He looked pretty good,” Atkinson said. “Let's see what the returns are on that. But he looked good in the 3-on-3.”
It appears that a seemingly routine defensive collision has become a nuisance for Hunter and the Cavs, who could now be down three key rotational players to start their 2025-26 NBA campaign.
“It was a knee-to-knee in that Detroit game,” Atkinson explained. “Just banged knees. So it's a contusion we're labeling it. A pretty good hit.”
Atkinson did say on Monday that Hunter was only doing individual work, meaning that 5-on-5 and contact weren't involved in his personal practice regimen.
Asked if Hunter's knee contusion is a long-term concern, Atkinson downplayed the notion, but didn't want to speculate too far: “I don't think so. Usually long-term is like a twist or you fall awkwardly. This is just a knee-to-knee, kinda unlucky. But it's good he did some 3-on-3 today. We'll see what he looks like [Wednesday] morning.”
If the Cavs don't have Hunter for their matchup with the Knicks, Atkinson has a plan in place. He understandably did not reveal that information to the media.
“Good question,” Atkinson said with a chuckle. “I think what it turns into is our young guys are gonna have to be ready to go. We're completely confident in that. We've done a lot of work with them this summer. Throw 'em into the fire.”
The Cavs and Knicks are set to tip off at 7 p.m. EST on Wednesday in a nationally-televised clash of Eastern Conference contenders. Whether they'll have Hunter or not remains to be seen, but they'll be prepared for the game either way.
