Cavs reportedly catering more workouts to 26th pick or lower is smart approach

The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly catering their workout sessions with 2019 NBA Draft prospects more to their second draft selection or potentially for lower picks than that, which is a smart approach.

As you’re probably well aware of at this point, the Cleveland Cavaliers currently have two selections in the 2019 NBA Draft; both are in the first round at fifth and 26th overall.

While Cleveland did not realistically get the lottery pick they would have hoped for, they could still find young talent in the draft that they can develop in the coming years in a rebuilding situation alongside promising young pieces in Collin Sexton and Cedi Osman, to go with solid bench big Ante Zizic.

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We’ve hit on potential players the Cavaliers could select at both of their spots, in addition to players they could maybe select in or near the late lottery, which could be a pick of theirs as well with their several expiring pieces that could look to trade or while taking on a bad contract from another team in exchange for trading the cap relief involved with J.R. Smith‘s favorable unguaranteed contract (which we’ve often detailed).

Of course, Cleveland, just like the other teams in the league, will combine film from prospects’ most recent seasons/their collegiate or international careers and the 2019 NBA Draft combine, as they should.

Additionally, workouts (and interviews) will be factored into the draft process for Cleveland, and it’s a smart approach for the Cavaliers to have involving the workout process leading up to the draft with them reportedly mostly having sessions with picks they believe will be in play with the 26th pick or even the second round, according to Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor.

Florida State big Mfiondu Kabengele, who averaged 13.2 points on 59.3% true shooting, to go with 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game (per Sports Reference) in his sophomore season, is just the kind of player Cleveland should be having in for a workout.

Kabengele could really aid Cleveland’s shot blocking/altering efforts, which have been all-but nonexistent in recent years, and his ability to potentially space the floor (a career 37.4% hit rate from three-point range over two seasons at FSU) would be a welcome addition to Cleveland’s bench in spurts, and Kabengele is a good rolling threat as well that sets quality screens.

If Cleveland eventually trades expiring piece John Henson, which they should, and possibly Tristan Thompson, which could feasibly happen, Kabengele could potentially be in the rotation in the coming years and be a valuable player on both ends.

Another Florida State Seminole prospect, Terance Mann, is reportedly going to have a workout with the Cavaliers, according to The Athletic’s Josh Robbins.

While Mann’s draft projections are relatively uncertain, he has shown solid ability as a secondary playmaker over the course of his career at FSU as our own Josh Friedman illustrated around the time of the 2019 NCAA Tournament, and I would imagine could develop into an NBA role piece (maybe starting out as a two-way player) as a plus defender due to good instincts, sound position and quality tools.

Anyhow, it seems reasonable that Cleveland could potentially add him at some point through buying a second-round pick, which with the way Dan Gilbert is reportedly willing to spend to help rebuilding progression, combined with Cleveland having a number of players that could feasibly be traded, could be the case if Cleveland is impressed with Mann’s workout, and having him in is also a quality move.

With the 2019 NBA Draft seemingly having so much uncertainty and potentially a ton of team movement, it’s good to know that general manager Koby Altman and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ front office are working out players that may be on the board in the lower part of the first round or even in the second after the 26th pick. I would hope that Cleveland also schedules workouts with players such as Indiana’s Isaiah Roby, Arizona State’s Luguentz Dort, and Washington’s Matisse Thybulle as well.

Head coach John Beilein has displayed throughout his coaching career at other levels of basketball that he can get the most out of players that weren’t as highly-recruited as some others, and with that hopefully translating for the Cavs, having a projected-lower pick approach to pre-draft workouts seems to be a quality one, considering Cleveland will need to find talent wherever they can in the coming years, and especially in the diamond-in-the-rough type of areas.