Cavs hosting Stanford big man Reid Travis for private workout
Stanford University’s Reid Travis has the makings of a solid rotation player if the Cleveland Cavaliers choose to bring him onboard.
As the Cleveland Cavaliers continue their preparations for the 2018 NBA Draft, they’re searching high and low for players that can be contributors for a championship team. One such player appears to be Stanford University forward-center Reid Travis who, according to 1500ESPN’s Darren Wolfson, has a private workout scheduled with the Cavs.
Former DeLaSalle HS and current Stanford star Reid Travis will workout for the Nets on Wed. then the Cavs thereafter. He has a few other team workouts as well. He can return to college since he hasn't hired an agent. My opinion: whether this year or next, he can play in the #NBA. pic.twitter.com/pc4tenRTCD
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) May 5, 2018
Travis is a 22-year-old redshirt junior who averaged 19.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.7 steals per game on 52.7 percent shooting from the field last season. He had a PER of 23.5 thanks to his offensive efficacy, 5.3 win shares (3.8 offensive), .177 win shares per 48 minutes and a box plus-minus of 4.5 (4.0 offensive).
Despite a lack of team success, his individual performance was strong enough to earn First Team All-Pac 12 honors.
The barrel-chested big man is also on the University of Kentucky’s radar as a graduate transfer, having grown into a consistent low-post scorer over the course of his career and making a tremendous impact on the offensive boards throughout the course of his career. Defensively, while Travis certainly isn’t a rim-protector, he’s strong enough to push opponents off base at the point of attack, athletic enough to step out on the perimeter and has a great motor.
While the big man wasn’t invited to the draft combine and seems like he’ll be a second-round prospect who could go undrafted, Travis is one of those prospects whose game could translate well in a bit role. Travis doesn’t need to be a go-to scorer for a team like the Cavs just a threat to score period and, more importantly, a player who can make a defensive impact.
His ability to make winning plays and use his “tweener” body to exploit mismatches that the Cavs can create with positionless lineups or screens while being able to stay on the court as a defender are what the Cavs could use from a backup power forward.
Travis wouldn’t play unless a frontcourt player like Larry Nance Jr. was hurt but he’d be a valuable contributor. While the lottery prospects are the real game-changers for the franchise, Travis is an enticing prospect in his own right.
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