Cleveland Cavaliers: King James Gospel roundtable #2

If you could pick any player in the next draft for the Cavs, who would it be?

Andrew Freedman:

As I mentioned a few months ago, having any of Duke’s Big Four–Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish, RJ Barrett, and Tre Jones–would be a luxury. When you look at the Cavaliers and their strengths and weaknesses, it’s the weaknesses that jump out. Speaking of jumping: that Zion Williamson guy? Yeah, he’s pretty special. I don’t have enough things to say about the future All-American and future top-5 pick, so I’ll leave you with a final thought: Whoever gets this guy better hold on to him, he’s going to be an All-Star before he turns 23. Let’s hope the Cavaliers have the opportunity to do just that.

Marcus Grey:

I would pick Zion Williamson because of his generational athleticism. His ceiling is really high and worst-case scenario he’ll be as good as Julius Randle. Randle is a good player. Zion is like a combination of LeBron and Shaq athletically. I honestly don’t know if there are a lot of people in the NBA right now who can matchup with his speed and strength. His jump shot is a concern but his mechanics seem fine. He isn’t Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. I think he can be a good catch-and-shoot guy from three. I think his ceiling as a player is something that we haven’t seen before.

Jackson Flickinger:

R.J. Barrett is a can’t-miss prospect and will be the number one overall pick in the draft. I would love for the Cavs to take him, but it’s hard to bank on getting the number one pick under the new lottery system. Even if the Cavs finish with the worst record, they’ll only have a 14% chance at getting the number one pick. Zion Williamson is a much more likely target assuming that the Cavs don’t win the lottery. It’ll be interesting to see how Williamson adjusts to playing against higher competition at Duke and how his height and weight influence the style of game he wants to play.

Josh Friedman:

It is really early to start breaking down draft picks since potential picks haven’t played college ball yet, but based on the hype he’s received, I’d go with Zion Williamson. If nothing else, he will land the Cavs some time on the SC Top 10 with his dunking ability. Players who go one-and-done to college often take a year or two in the NBA to develop, so I’ll take the guy who I know has the physical tools to be great.

Eli Mooneyham:

Give me R.J. Barrett, every single time. I’m not sold on Zion Williamson and quite honestly am scared if the Cavs have the chance to take him. He’s a huge risk due to his lack of a true shot right now. Barrett is the safer bet, though less flashy than Williamson.