2 Potential Breakout Players for Cleveland Cavaliers

Keep an eye on these two Cleveland Cavaliers players heading into the 2024-25 NBA season.

Dec 21, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Emoni Bates (21) shoots in the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers' success this coming NBA season will mostly be dependent on Donovan Mitchell as well as the progression of young stars Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.

However, the Cavaliers also need some assistance in other areas.

Cleveland didn't make any major additions this offseason, but perhaps the answers to some of the team's problems are already on the roster?

Here are a couple of potential breakout candidates for the Cavs.

Emoni Bates

There was a time when Emoni Bates was one of the top high-school basketball player in the nation, but he never really materialized on the collegiate level. He spent two years in college, playing for Memphis and then Eastern Washington.

The Cavaliers then selected Bates in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft, banking on the youngster's potential.

Well, Bates didn't play all that much with Cleveland last season, appearing in just 15 games, but he did star for the Cavs' G-League team, averaging 24.8 points per game on 45.7/41.2/71.4 shooting splits for the Cleveland Charge.

The Cavs re-signed him on a two-way contract over the summer, meaning Bates will likely spend some time with the Charge again in 2024-25.

However, there seems to be a legitimate chance that Bates will get some NBA run this year.

After all, he fits exactly what the Cavaliers need: a long, athletic wing who can guard multiple positions and can consistently create his own shot.

The 20-year-old is still very raw, but there is no doubt that the potential is there.

Craig Porter Jr.

It was hard not to like what you saw from Craig Porter Jr. during his rookie campaign.

Yes, Porter is an undersized guard, but he managed to play in 51 games last season, logging 5.6 points per game while shooting 50.9 percent from the floor.

Porter certainly has deficiencies. He can be taken advantage of defensively because of his lack of size and his offensive game is somewhat limited due to his lack of a consistent perimeter shot.

However, Porter makes up for his diminutive stature by being a tough, hard-nosed defender and by possessing impressive strength for his size. He is also a terrific athlete with the ability to blow by defenders and get to the rim with regularity.

Porter can't grow any taller, but if he can improve his outside shot, defenses will no longer be able to sag off of him and dare him to shoot.

While Porter will likely never be a reliable starter, there is potential for him to become a reliable bench piece and maybe even a microwave scorer.

The Cavs could use some more creators off the pine, so we'll see if Porter can fill that role for them this year.