Fastbreak

Did The Cleveland Cavaliers Outsmart Every NBA Team?

The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Emoni Bates with the 49th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Ben Stinar

Did The Cleveland Cavaliers Outsmart Every NBA Team?
Did The Cleveland Cavaliers Outsmart Every NBA Team? /

The Cleveland Cavaliers only had one selection in the 2023 NBA Draft, and they drafted Emoni Bates out of Eastern Michigan with the 49th overall pick.

Coming out of high school (in 2021), ESPN ranked Bates as the third-best player in the country.

He averaged 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest while shooting 38.6% from the field during his first year of college (for the Memphis Tigers).

Bates transferred to Eastern Michigan for his sophomore season, and he averaged 19.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per contest while shooting 40.5% from the field.  

That said, every team in the league passed on him in the draft, and the Cavs took a chance on him in the second round.  

So far, he has looked like a fantastic addition to the team during the preseason.  

The 19-year-old is leading the Cavs in scoring (12.7 PPG) and also shooting 51.9% from the field and 45.0% from the three-point range in three games.   

Considering the Cavs have him on a two-way contract, this could be one of the best decisions of the 2023 draft. 

While the preseason doesn't count, Bates has shown that he has the potential to be a critical role player for the Cavs this season. 

They are coming off a year where they were the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 51-31 record, so a player like Bates could be a huge X-factor.  

The Cavs will play their first game of the 2023-24 season on October 25 when they visit the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center in New York. 

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Ben Stinar
BEN STINAR

Ben Stinar is the NBA reporter for Fastbreak on FanNation.

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