Cavaliers: 4 2019 NBA Draft prospects to avoid with the 26th pick

Once you get past the lottery selections of the NBA draft, nothing is certain, and NBA prospects are often drafted based on potential they may never live up to. Things are no different for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who possess the Houston Rockets’ 26th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, which is seen by many as a two-player draft.

The Cleveland Cavaliers could get a little bit lucky and strike gold by selecting a star at the 26th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, but most likely, they’ll be fortunate to find a solid role player.

There are a few players they should avoid picking with that selection, though.

Bol Bol C, Oregon:

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Bol Bol will most likely be gone by the time the Cavs pick second at 26 and if he is still there, he could be seen as a value pick since he was mocked to go earlier. That being said, Cleveland general manager Koby Altman and company should avoid him.

One of the highest ranked prospects this past year, Bol is a 7-foot-2 center who can hit from beyond the arc. He averaged 21.0 points per game this year at Oregon and made over half of his three-point shots (at a 52.0% clip, per Sports Reference).

The issue is that he only played nine games; durability is a huge concern with him as he missed most of 2018-19 with a foot injury. Injury is a common theme for Bol, as he missed the McDonald’s All-American Game due to it, too (h/t Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon).

The Cavs already have one injury-prone big man in Kevin Love, and adding Bol is clearly a boom-or-bust move but given his injury history, he’s a name to avoid.

Matisse Thybulle, G, Washington:

The guard/forward from the University of Washington is an interesting case. Thybulle is not booming with untapped potential like many others in the late first round.

He’s a ready-made NBA defender who has shown he can hit open three-point looks (a 35.8% clip over four seasons at Washington, per Sports Reference) and translates to exactly that. He will be a solid role player and could be a nice piece on a good team.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are no close to contending, though. Thybulle would have been a nice fit on the LeBron James-led teams that needed strong defense and shooting (especially on the perimeter), but Cleveland is in need of another potential star, or at least a capable scorer now.

Thybulle is just not a fit with the Cavaliers’ current plan. The two time PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year will fill a need for a different team but does not make a ton of sense for the Cavs at this juncture of the rebuild.

Moses Brown, C, UCLA:

Moses Brown sticking in the 2019 NBA Draft after just one year at UCLA is a little questionable to some. The ESPN preseason Top-25 prospect had a solid year but has a ways to go to improve his overall game.

There is a notion that Brown may be entering the draft due to the head coaching change at UCLA from Steve Alford to now former University of Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin, but he could still use further development.

For starters, he was a 35.2% free throw shooter (again, per Sports Reference). He also has a limited offensive game at this point.

He is not a particularly good jump shooter and did not attempt a three-point shot all season. He needs to develop a more polished offensive game at least as a finisher/post presence and eventually improve his free throw shooting/shooting stroke overall to not be a complete spacing-clogger.

For the Cavs, there’s no need for a low-skilled big man, especially with Love, potentially Tristan Thompson (though he is on an expiring contract after next season) and Larry Nance Jr. already occupying time as bigs, and not even including Ante Zizic.

Jontay Porter, C, Missouri:

Coming into the season, Jontay Porter, the brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., was considered a first round prospect in the 2019 NBA Draft. Unfortunately, Porter reportedly tore his ACL and MCL in a scrimmage, and ended his season before it really began.

He is still just 19 and is a former SEC Sixth Man of the year, though.

Porter lacked the projected star power that made his brother a top prospect (before injury) and is coming off a major knee injury of his own.

He flashed potential in his lone year of college at Missouri with 16.1 points on 56.7% true shooting and 11.1 rebounds per 40 minutes, and his IQ is clearly there on both ends (you can definitely see that as a passer), which will likely entice teams.

If the Cavs are looking to pick a developmental player, they’d be wise to look at guys who have shown a little more and may have higher upside (especially athletically, though). Porter does have a solid jump shot (as evidenced by him shooting 36.4% from deep and 75.4% from the free throw line in one season) but lacks the prototypical speed and quickness to be a difference maker.

Porter will likely fall to the second round in the 2019 NBA Draft, where a team will take a waiver and hopes he continues to develop, and I don’t believe the Cavs should try to acquire a second-rounder just for Porter if he’s a potential target there, given his injury concerns.