As the Cleveland Cavaliers scouts attend the IMG Academy Professional Basketball Combine, there are five players that stick out like a sore thumb. Will the Cavs actually be buyers in the 2017 NBA Draft?
According to HoopsHype’s Alex Kennedy, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be one of 15 teams sending scouts to the first IMG Academy Professional Basketball Combine as they look to find the right player to select in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Today, the @ProBBallCombine kicks off at IMG. Here is a list of prospects and teams expected to attend (via @AlexKennedyNBA): pic.twitter.com/wv4wtpQaRw
— Cody Taylor (@CodyTaylorNBA) May 16, 2017
The combine, which features players who will be in second-round consideration, is perfect for the Cleveland Cavaliers as the Cavs don’t have a pick in the draft. The only way for them to acquire a pick would be via trade, which is unlikely, and by buying a second round pick from a team. That’s what the Cavs did last year when they selected point guard Kay Felder from Oakland University.
When looking at this batch of draft prospects, there are quite a few players who are big-time threats from behind the arc. They’re all wings.
Dayton’s Charles Cooke, who played for Dayton for two seasons after transferring from James Madison, has shot 39.7 percent from three-point range across the past two seasons.
Indiana’s James Blackmon, a three-year player for the Hoosiers, shot 41.5 percent from three-point range for his career.
Colorado State’s Gian Clavell, who was a three-year player for the Rams, shot 36.2 percent from three-point range for his career. He was also named the conference player of the year for the Mountain West Conference (MWC).
Florida’s Justin Leon, a two-year player for the Gators, shot 38.9 percent from three-point range for his career.
Marquette’s Katin Reinhardt, who also played for UNLV (one season) and USC (two seasons), has shot 37.0 percent from three-point range. He’s been consistent while playing for three different programs so there’s no doubt he’s a great shooter.
One other player who could interest the Cavs is Florida’s Canyon Barry, the son of Hall of Famer Rick Barry. He shot 34.2 percent from three-point range and his percentage remained steady after transferring to Florida after three seasons at Charleston Southern.
(Editor’s note: Barry and I share the same hometown, so I definitely wouldn’t mind him being a Cav.)
The Cleveland Cavaliers clearly have a lot of interest in shooting wings which is interesting when considering their roster makeup. While this doesn’t mean that the Cavs won’t re-sign Kyle Korver, it shows prudence on the part of the Cavs to find a suitable three-point threat in case the market for Korver makes his price point too high.
Even if Korver wasn’t a free agent, the injury-riddled season for J.R. Smith, the injury history of Iman Shumpert, and the ages of Korver, James Jones and RIchard Jefferson (all 36-years-old) makes it a necessity that the Cleveland Cavaliers go out and draft a young gun.
There’s a lot to like about these six particular prospects and, in addition to their interest in Arizona’s Rawle Alkins, it seems like we can expect the Cleveland Cavaliers to be buyers in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Related Story: 2017 NBA Draft Big Board: Cavs Edition
What do you think about these particular draft prospects? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.