Aussies Abroad: Proctor 'looks like he belongs' in the NBA

He may only be a few months into his NBA journey, but there is a feeling that Australian guard and Cleveland's 49th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Tyrese Proctor, 'belongs' in the league.

That was the sentiment one Cavaliers veteran revealed to coach Kenny Atkinson just days in the Ohio franchise's 2025 training camp.

"One of the vets said to me today — he said, 'You know, Tyrese, he looks like he belongs,’” Atkinson said during a Cavaliers media availability.

"And a lot of times with rookies, you know, you’re like, 'Do they really belong?' Right now, it feels like he belongs.

"The question with Tyrese right now is, is he gonna be able to handle the physicality? It’s not his skill level — that’s high enough. His compete level’s high enough.

"This year’s probably gonna be a year where he’s really gonna build his body.

"He’s gonna push us to make decisions."

The Sutherland Sharks product spent three seasons at Duke University, producing averages of 10.8 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists, and playing alongside the likes of fellow NBA players Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach, Jared McCain, Dereck Lively II and Kyle Filipowski.

After his selection in this year's draft, alongside fellow Australians Rocco Zikarsky, Alex Toohey and Lachlan Olbrich, the 21-year-old shone for the Cavaliers at the 2025 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, including hitting 11 triples on his way to 35 points against Sacramento.

As such, Proctor, who signed a four-year deal with the Cavaliers on July 1, is full of confidence going into his rookie season.

"It [the first week of NBA training camp] was positive," he said.

"Obviously stuff I can clean up on and stuff like that. But I mean, it’s my first run on an NBA floor with NBA players.

"And they all said, you know, I had a great Summer League, and I felt like I had a great Summer League.

"And like I said, obviously, there are areas to improve on, but I think it was a good first step for me.

"I think winning — that’s the biggest thing. You know, obviously coming from a program like Duke, winning’s relied on heavily.

"And, you know, I want to be known for just being a winning player, and just, you know, whatever program, whatever organisation I’m at, I want to be known for winning."

Proctor's Cavaliers play the Chicago Bulls, headlined by fellow Australian Josh Giddey, on October 8 at Rocket Arena.