The Cleveland Cavaliers shouldn’t sit out the 2017 NBA Draft, even if they don’t currently have a pick.
With the 2017 NBA Draft set to take place on June 22nd, a little over a month from now, NBA teams are doing their due diligence in assessing the talent level of all draft-eligible players in the draft pool. That includes the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have shown an interest in Rawle Alkins, a shooting guard from the University of Arizona.
While the Cleveland Cavaliers are unlikely to have a first round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, it’s not impossible for the team to make a trade in the offseason that would secure a first round pick for them. It is, however, more than likely that the Cavs attempt to buy a second-round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, as they did last year to acquire point guard Kay Felder.
With that in mind, I decided to make a Big Board for the Cavs. Ranking the players from 1-60, this board will allow fans to see what players should be available in the second round. With Felder selected with the 54th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, the 45-55 range is where the Cavs are likely to buy a draft pick.
2017 NBA Draft “Big Board”
"PG Markelle Fultz, WashingtonPG Lonzo Ball, UCLASF Josh Jackson, KansasSF Jayson Tatum, North CarolinaPF Jonathan Isaac, Florida StatePG De’Aaron Fox, KentuckySG Malik Monk, KentuckyC Zach Collins, GonzagaPG Frank Ntilikina, FrancePG Dennis Smith Jr., NC StatePF Lauri Markannen, ArizonaSF Justin Jackson, North CarolinaSG Terrance FergusonC Justin Patton, CreightonC Bam Adebayo, KentuckyPF TJ Leaf, UCLAC Jarrett Allen, TexasSG Hamidou Diallo, KentuckyC Omer Yurtseven, NC StatePF John Collins, Wake ForestSG Dwayne Bacon, Florida StateSG Luke Kennard, DukePF Ivan Rabb, CaliforniaPG Frank Jackson, DukeSG Donovan Mitchell, LouisvilleSF OG Anunoby, IndianaC Jordan Bell, OregonPG Josh Hart, VillanovaPF Semi Ojeleye, SMUPF Kyle Kuzma, UtahPF Tyler Lyndon, SyracusePG PJ Dozier, South CarolinaSF Rodions Kurucs, LatviaSG Sindarious Thornwell, South CarolinaPG Frank Mason, KansasPG Derrick White, ColoradoPG Jawun Evans, Oklahoma StateC Anzejs Pasecniks, LatviaPG Monte Morris, Iowa StatePF Jonathan Motley, BaylorSF Dillon Brooks, OregonPF Cam Oliver, NevadaPF Caleb Swanigan, PurdueSG Davon Reed, MiamiSG Rawle Alkins, ArizonaSG Kobi Simmons, ArizonaSF Wesley Iwundu, Kansas StatePG Nigel Williams-Goss, GonzagaPG Edmond Sumner, XavierPF Chris Boucher, OregonPF Alec Peters, ValparaisoC Ike Anigbogu, UCLAC Harry Giles III, DukeC Egemen Guven, TurkeyC Jonathan Jeanne, FranceC Mathias Lessort, FrancePF Aleksander Vezenkov, BulgariaSF Jaron Blossongame, ClemsonC Moses Kingsley, ArkansasPF Isaiah Hartenstein, Germany"
Looking at the top 60 draft-eligible players, there are quite a few players who could be available in the second round that intrigue the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Shooting guards Davon Reed, Rawle Alkins and Kobi Simmons each have a mix of three-point shooting and athletic ability that should intrigue the Cavs, as they have a bevy of wings above 35-years-old and will need to replace them with younger counterparts sooner or later.
Frontcourt players like Chris Boucher and Ike Anigbogu could intrigue the Cleveland Cavaliers because of their mobility and, in Boucher’s case, ability to stretch the floor. Others, like Egemen Guven and Isaiah Hartenstein, are players the Cleveland Cavaliers could draft-and-stash. Those two big men are skilled Euro prospects who can be allowed to develop while the Cleveland Cavaliers see what they have in Edy Tavares.
Personally, I’d like the Cleveland Cavaliers to draft Reed, Alkins or Boucher. Each played for a high-profile Division I school and played for a great college basketball coach. In my opinion, the level of talent that a player faces and the type of coaching they received in college are two are the biggest determinants of how a player will perform at the next level.
The other determinants? Their skillset, their passion for the game and their basketball IQ. Reed, Alkins and Boucher are talented, passionate players with high basketball IQs.
Here are highlights of Reed, Alkins and Boucher, respectively:
SG Davon Reed, University of Miami
SG Rawle Alkins, University of Arizona
PF Chris Boucher, University of Oregon
Related Story: Cavs prospect Rawle Alkins turning heads
Who would you pick in the 2017 NBA Draft if you were the Cleveland Cavaliers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.