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Cavs draft target Rawle Alkins opts to return to school

By Quenton S. Albertie

Mar 11, 2017; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Sean Miller embraces guard Rawle Alkins (1) after the Wildcats defeated the Oregon ducks 83-80 in the Pac-12 Conference Championship game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2017; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Sean Miller embraces guard Rawle Alkins (1) after the Wildcats defeated the Oregon ducks 83-80 in the Pac-12 Conference Championship game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /
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One of the Cleveland Cavaliers draft targets is out of the running. Rawle Alkins has decided to return back to school.

Rawle Alkins, a freshman shooting guard from the University of Arizona, has opted to return back to school for his sophomore season rather than try his luck in the 2017 NBA Draft.

https://twitter.com/Iam_RawleAlkins/status/866406551552229376

Alkins, who the Cavs were interested in enough to contact his high school head coach and whose performance at the NBA Draft Combine got the attention of a few scouts likely alleviated some of the concern about his lack of height at the shooting guard position (Alkins is 6-foot-2). He was projected to be a 2nd round pick although he had the potential to creep into the back of the 1st round.

A draft prospect who embodied the New York spirit of streetball, the Brooklyn-native has an NBA-ready body and the ability to be an impact player on both sides of the score. With his muscular 200-pound frame, explosiveness and solid ball-handling ability, Alkins would be a capable slasher from Day One. His physical capabilities would only be enhanced by his ability to find a good shot while operating in the pick-and-roll.

Defensively, Alkins has all of the physical tools to be able to mirror the ball-handler’s every move but he also has quick hands and a defensive tenacity that could make him a lockdown defender at the league level.

His biggest issues would come with needing to play beside another point guard, as he’s inexperienced running the one but would be at a disadvantage when guarding some of the bigger twos. However, if there’s any player who should provide evidence that size doesn’t matter on the defensive end, it would be 6-foot-2 Avery Bradley, a lockdown defender for the Boston Celtics.

Unfortunately, because of his size, his inexperience with playing both guard spots hurts him, regardless of the success that Bradley, a similar prospect, has had.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, who don’t have a 1st round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, would have been selecting Alkins in the 2nd round if they managed to buy a 2nd round draft pick like they did during the 2016 NBA Draft.

He would have been a “developmental prospect” in the sense that, at best he would have been a third-string shooting guard but more than likely would have been a prospect the Cavs signed to a two-way contract as they wait for James Jones, Richard Jefferson and Kyle Korver (all 36-years-old) to hang up their laces.

In a couple of seasons, Alkins would have had the chance to be a rotation piece for the Cavs.

The Cleveland Cavaliers do have alternatives to Alkins if they want to select a player in the 2nd round of the 2017 NBA Draft after attending the Professional Basketball Combine last week.

Colorado State’s Gian Clavell, Florida’s Canyon Barry and Oklahoma State’s James Blackmon Jr. are three of the seven draft prospects that Cavs scouts talked to. Barry is the son of NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry.

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What do you think about Rawle Alkins returning to school? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.