NBA Notes: Cavs, De’Andre Hunter, Pacers, Bennedict Mathurin, Bulls

Cavaliers

The Cavs didn’t waste much time acting on the idea. Shortly after Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com floated the notion of moving De’Andre Hunter out of the starting lineup, Cleveland did exactly that Wednesday against Chicago.

The early results weren’t pretty. The new starting five, with Jaylon Tyson replacing Hunter, was outscored by eight points in just 11 minutes. Still, league sources tell Fedor the Cavs plan to stay the course for now.

The thinking is less about the starters and more about the second unit. Hunter thrived as a sixth man last season, and the hope is that returning him to that role helps stabilize a bench that has been wildly inconsistent.

Internally, there’s a belief Hunter is simply more comfortable — and more impactful — in that spot.

Pacers

Bennedict Mathurin is playing through it.

The Pacers wing acknowledged this week that the toe injury that cost him 11 games earlier in the season is still bothering him, even though he hasn’t missed a game since November 17.

“It’s still an issue,” Mathurin said, via Tony East of Circle City Spin. “I can still feel it, man.”

Mathurin didn’t go into specifics, but it’s clear the injury hasn’t fully gone away, even as he continues to gut it out.

Bulls

If the Bulls are serious about the future, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times believes the focus needs to shift.

Rather than chasing a play-in spot, Cowley argues Chicago should prioritize developing forward Matas Buzelis, whose second season has been uneven. In Cowley’s view, it’s not hard to imagine a roster reset where Buzelis and Josh Giddey are the only current Bulls left standing a year from now.

If that’s the case, maximizing Buzelis’ growth now matters more than squeezing out a few extra wins.