KJG 2019 NBA Draft roundtable: Top 10 prospects Cavs should target

Josh Friedman’s 2019 NBA Draft Top 10

1. Zion Williamson – Williamson’s supreme athletic ability may be what garners headlines, but he’s a solid passer for a big-man. He needs to continue to expand his range to fit at the next level where floor-stretching is the trend. He’s a no-brainer at number one, and he’d go a long way in filling seats at The Q.

2. R.J. Barrett – Williamson’s running mate at Duke, Barrett is more of a wing. He is extremely quick and athletic. He also needs to improve on his long-range shooting, at 30.9 percent. Barrett is a playmaker and would make an excellent running mate next to Collin Sexton.

3. Ja Morant – coming into this season, Morant was more or less an unknown to the common fan. Murray State is not exactly a power house, although it did produce Cavs guard Cam Payne. Morant can score the ball and is a great distributor. He also throws down some monster dunks. With Sexton already occupying the point guard slot on the Cavs roster, Morant may not be a fit. He’s probably not big enough the guard opposing shooting guards so a two guards lineup may leave the Cavs in a bad spot defensively.

4. Keldon Johnson – the Kentucky shooting guard reminds me a little of CJ McCollum. Johnson is an effective three-point shooter and at 6-foot-6 is big enough to guard multiple positions at the next level. I like his fit on the Cavs, should they not land a top-3 pick.

5. Rui Hachimura – Hachimura is an interesting prospect at this point. His athleticism and motor are impressive, and he’s adding the three ball to his game. Previously, he was more of a traditional big and is still very raw. If he continues to develop that mid-range game and become more of a threat from outside, the sky’s the limit.

6. Cam Reddish – Reddish has struggled more than his Duke-counterparts to adjust to the college level, but he’s still a well of talent. Reddish seemingly has all the tools, he’s athletic, has a nice stroke for outside and knows the game, it is just a matter of putting it all together. He’s a little more developmental than his running mates at Duke, but arguably just as talented.

7. De’Andre Hunter – Hunter is often compared to Raptors forward OG Anunoby due to his size, wingspan and that neither of them were big-time recruits. Already at 21 years old, Hunter’s game has shown growth over his career at UVA.

8. Kevin Porter Jr. – Porter Jr is currently indefinitely suspended from USC making him a little harder to evaluate. He’s shown flashes but in very limited sample size. He has a Harden-esque quality about him. Not saying he’s the next James Harden, but he has a ton of upside.

9. Nassir Little – While still very raw, Nassir Little looks like a promising wing. He’s shown ability to knock down mid-rangers but that doesn’t really expand to the three-point arc. He has all the physical ability and really impressed on the high school AAU Circuit as well as the Jordan Brand Classic. I look forward to seeing him continue to earn more minutes.

10. Jarrett Culver – Culver, a 6-foot-5 wing, has shown great scoring ability and can hit outside jumpers. He may not have the upside of a Barrett or Reddish, but a team picking toward the middle of the lottery is going to land a really solid starter.