Billy Preston’s unlimited potential

The Cleveland Cavaliers found a diamond in the rough in skilled power forward Billy Preston.

At 6-foot-10, 240 pounds, with a lean frame that’s complements above-average athleticism, Billy Preston’s combination of skill and aggressive play make him more than an intriguing two-way player for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 20-year-old Preston (he’ll be 21-years-old on October 26th), who only played three games between his last year at Oak Hill Academy and the start of the Las Vegas Summer League, has superstar potential.

That might sound absurd, especially for an undrafted rookie. However, given that the reasons that Preston — a five-star recruit (with a 98 grade) who was ranked in the top-20 high school recruits in the country in 2017 and was the top-ranked player in the state of Virginia — went undrafted had nothing to do with his talent, it’s not too crazy.

After all, there aren’t many players with his size that can handle the ball coast-to-coast, size up and opponent on the perimeter, then hit a fluid crossover dribble that gets them into the lane quickly. Players that will be confident enough to then take the shot and, at the least, attempt to draw a foul. Or, alternatively, find a teammate with a nice pass inside.

There aren’t many players with his size, athleticism and ball-handling ability that can shoot comfortably from all three levels.

If they can do all of that, the chance that they’re also able to defend players on the perimeter or interior, racking up steals and blocks while displaying dependable defensive awareness, is slim.

Then you factor in Preston’s ability to hit the boards and be a solid contributor in the rebounding category and the question is, what is his ceiling?

With his Twitter handle, @NoLimitBill, he might have the answer already.

He has unlimited potential.

If there was a pro comparison to make, I would go with Kevin Garnett, a 15-time All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year, NBA MVP and NBA champion.

Garnett averaged 17.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.4 blocks per game for his career. He was an athletic three-position player, had an inside-outside game and range out to three-point range (though — and especially because of his era — he tended not to take too many threes), great court vision, attacked the glass and made defensive plays on the perimeter or interior.

Preston is a scoring-minded forward-center with two-way ability who could feasibly play three positions in the future. He truly could be a matchup nightmare for opponents, which is really makes his development important.

With that said, there are certainly a couple of improvements he can make to his game.

Though his shot looks fine, his touch is inconsistent and he takes a number of tough looks. Thus, he shot 32.7 percent from the field and 30.0 percent from the perimeter despite shooting 78.3 percent from the free throw line, evidence of his shooting precision. Working with NBA coaches and trainers on his jumper should be beneficial and that’s why it’s important to keep in mind that he’s only played three games, just 47 minutes total, of basketball since his days at Oak Hill.

Working on his strength, particularly with NBA training staffs, and footwork will do wonders for him as an inside-outside player. Though he’s shown a little in the ways of being able to score inside, as an athletic player who scores the majority of his buckets from the perimeter, other teams will end up putting thinner, smaller players on him. He can take advantage of those matchups by putting pressure on them with post-ups.

As a two-way player, Preston will spend the majority of his time with the Canton Charge this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ official NBA G-League affiliate.

The Charge, led by head coach Nate Reinking, run a system that emphasizes perimeter play and stout defense. Preston will benefit tremendously as he works on his strength, perimeter game and defense, in particular. Working with any of the illustrious former All-Stars offering to tutor players, like Garnett and Hakeem Olajuwon, would help him with his footwork.

Frankly, the only thing that stands between Preston’s ceiling and his current skill level is the dedication to truly be great.

Preston averaged 10.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks per game in 20.6 minutes per game (5 games) in the Summer League. He averaged 18.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per 36 minutes.

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While Summer League numbers aren’t exactly translatable, looking at Preston’s skill and the stat lines he could put up in a featured role, he’s certainly a player whose development everyone should monitor.