Cleveland Cavaliers fans collectively held their breath when De’Andre Hunter held his knee early in the first quarter during the team’s 118-100 preseason win over the Detroit Pistons. He sustained the injury when he went back on defense to stop a Tobias Harris drive after he missed his three-point attempt.
The two forwards banged knees, and the Cleveland Cavaliers forward was slow to get up before subbing out for Donovan Mitchell. After the game, head coach Kenny Atkinson allayed the fans’ fears with a positive update.
“Bumped knees, no twist or anything like that,” Atkinson explained about Hunter via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. “He got a pretty good hit, right, knee to knee.”
“I just think it stiffened up,” he added. “There wasn’t like a pain thing or you’ve got to go to the back. It was more like it stiffened up. That was kind of what I got from (Cavs head athletic trainer) Steve (Spiro), and we talked about it. I said, ‘There’s no need to risk it.’”
Cleveland Cavaliers News: Kenny Atkinson dishes on Darius Garland’s recovery
There is more good news for Cleveland Cavaliers supporters, as head coach Kenny Atkinson revealed that Darius Garland has taken a huge step in the right direction in his comeback, as the two-time All-Star has played 5-on-5 in the past few days.
“He did some stuff today. He did some 5-on-5 today with the extra work group,” Atkinson stated via ClutchPoints’ Spencer Davies. “So it was live; it was very short. It was a touch… you know how it is. Okay, great, now let’s see what tomorrow looks like. What does the recovery look like? We know this is not an easy injury to come back from. It’s just not.
“You see what happens in the NFL with this injury. It’s not linear, usually, the return to performance — and we’re hoping it will be and he’ll progress — but I side on the side of being conservative and making sure. But this is a good step today. A small step, but a good step,” he added.
