The Cleveland Cavaliers have had their pick of some of the top talent in the past few NBA drafts. Being a rebuilding team they had a lottery pick for about four years straight. Selecting solid players such as Darius Garland and Evan Mobley were no-brainers for the Cavaliers. This offseason was a little different. Cleveland ended the season as the four seed in the Eastern Conference. That meant they would not have a lottery pick for the draft. It seems like Cleveland did not need one to find a gem!
Who Is Emoni Bates?
Even after Cleveland unloaded many of their draft picks in the Donovan Mitchell trade, Cleveland still held on to a 2023 second-round pick at number 49. It is extremely rare that any team finds an NBA-ready talent that late into the draft, but the Cleveland Cavaliers may have struck gold with Emoni Bates. Cleveland went with a low-risk high-reward pick with the former 5-star recruit.
There were some questions surrounding Bates’ character entering the draft, but Cleveland could not pass up on his raw talent. Especially when they are in dire need of a true wing. Bates has done nothing but impress and improve in every summer league game he has played in so far. According to BallIsLife.com via Twitter, Emoni Bates scored 21 points, 2 blocks, and 2 steals on 7/11 shooting in his last game. He also shot 2/2 from the line and 5/8 from three, as reported by SportsIllustrated.com.
Emoni Bates is currently averaging 16 points per game while shooting 41% from the floor. He is also hitting 38% of his threes. It is astonishing to see how well Bates can create his own shot against NBA-level talent. The Cleveland Cavaliers were worried about his defense but he seems to be working hard to round out his overall game. Bates leads the team in steals with 103 per game and is second in blocks.
The Steal Of The Draft!
There is still a lot of development ahead of Emoni Bates, but he seems to be the steal of the draft through his first three summer league games. If Bates can continue to grow his game he could be a very valuable asset to the championship aspiring Cleveland Cavaliers. It will be very interesting to see how else Emoni Bates can improve his game and his work ethic. So far it is very promising, but only time will tell. Stay tuned as we watch his NBA journey unfold in front of us!
Image Credits: YouTube.com/ClevelandCavaliers.