The Cleveland Cavaliers have a vacancy in their depth chart, and Tyrese Proctor might develop into the backup point guard they need to address it.
Given Cleveland’s offseason moves, which include trading both Max Strus and Dennis Schroder, the team will need someone who can handle the ball off the bench. As of now, Proctor is one of a few young guards jockeying for the position.
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Craig Porter Jr. and rookie Meleek Thomas are his (friendly) competition. We’ll talk more about them as our season previews continue. For now, we’re all about Proctor.
Proctor was drafted 49th in the 2025 NBA Draft and enters his sophomore season with Cleveland. He played 50 games last year, averaging 5.4 points on 41.3% shooting from the floor. Nothing overly impressive, but he showed enough to make you wonder what might come next.
This leads us to our big question:
What would it take for Proctor to cement himself as Cleveland’s backup point guard?
A perfect fit, on paper
Proctor theoretically has all of the skills you’d want from a modern combo guard.
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He has positional size at 6’4″ and is comfortable playing with or without the ball. He’s got solid jump-shot mechanics and the physical tools to become a quality team defender. All of which makes him comfortable playing alongside anyone.
Versatility is a good skill to have. But it’s even more important in Cleveland, where the star-studded backcourt of James Harden and Donovan Mitchell will bury anyone who can’t play alongside them.
Proctor’s game pairs well next to either Harden or Mitchell.
With Harden, you need to space the floor and serve as a threat to knockdown jumpers. Proctor can check that box. He has experience playing without the rock and projects to be someone who can eventually nail jumpers at a high clip.
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If paired with Mitchell, then Proctor has to lean into being a floor general. This means running the offense and being a creator. This skill is less refined, as of now, but something that’s still potentially in the cards for Proctor.
Above all else, Proctor has to put the full package together by being a stout defender at the point of attack. Covering for Harden and Mitchell defensively is arguably more important than coexisting with them offensively.
Proctor again seems to be the type of player who can accomplish this.
Doing so would not only make Proctor a contributor throughout the regular season, but also someone who can help stagger lineups in the playoffs.
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Of course, this all has to be proven first.
Hurdles to clear
Proctor has shown flashes of everything that I listed above. But the full picture remains unclear. He’ll have to clear a few hurdles before officially being in the rotation.
So what’s holding him back?
For starters, his inexperience. Proctor is only 22 years old and hasn’t had much time in the league. Many of his minutes came in garbage time last season, and his most valuable reps were short-lived. That doesn’t give us a lot to work with.
Even with the limited sample size, it’s clear that Proctor has room to grow. All of his most exciting skills remain as untapped potential.
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His jumper looks sweet, but he only shot 35% from deep last season. That won’t be good enough. Proctor will need to be closer to 40% for this to be the skill that he hangs his hat on.
On defense, Proctor seems like he can develop into a productive player. But how impactful can he be on a nightly basis? Can he fortify the point of attack? And can he make the correct rotations to fit into a team system? Consistency will be key.
Finally, what more can Proctor give as a creator?
He isn’t an elite dribbler or passer. Those skills feel tertiary right now — they aren’t at the core of his game. Creating advantages and causing defensive breakdowns will be the skill that ultimately determines Proctor’s ceiling.
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Proctor’s sophomore season shouldn’t be sink or swim. He still has years of development on the table. But piecing some things together and being part of Cleveland’s rotation should be a serious goal for him. He might not get a clearer path towards playing time than this current season.
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