On February 6th the Cleveland Cavaliers made a trade with the Atlanta Hawks to acquire the services of wingman De’Andre Hunter. Hunter was a 4th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and was an NCAA National Champion with the Virginia Cavaliers. After joining the Cleveland Cavaliers the team has gone 9-0 and still hold the best record in the NBA. Hunter was welcomed to Cleveland by Cavaliers fans and a former college teammate.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome joined the team as a free agent in the summer of 2023. Previously he was with the Phoenix Suns, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Golden State Warriors. His college career was culminated by winning the 2019 NCAA National Championship for the Virginia Cavaliers. His teammate on that team was the newly acquired Cleveland Cavaliers forward De’Andre Hunter. This season for the Cleveland Cavaliers has been a reunion of NCAA Champions.

As I write this article the Cleveland Cavaliers sit at the top on the NBA with a 50-10 record. They sent three players to the NBA All Star game last month and are now jockeying for a number one playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. At this point and time in the season has been an overwhelming success for the Cleveland Cavaliers. With 22 games left in the season for this Cavaliers team, can Hunter and Jerome be key factors for Cleveland to have postseason success?

If the last two games are any indication of how the playoffs will go for Cleveland, the answer to that question is yes. After trailing the Boston Celtics by 17 points in the third quarter, both Jerome and Hunter contributed to the Cavaliers comeback win by combining for 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. In a similar situation the following game against the Portland Trailblazers De’Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome combined for 57 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists for the Cavaliers overtime victory. 6 years ago, these two teammates won a National Championship for a Cavaliers team. Can they win an NBA Championship for another Cavaliers team? Why not? Stranger things have happened.