Brandon Clarke would be a solid trade-down target for Cavs in draft

If the Cleveland Cavaliers eventually choose to trade down with the Atlanta Hawks in the 2019 NBA Draft, Gonzaga’s Brandon Clarke would be an outstanding trade-down option for one of those players.

The Cleveland Cavaliers seem to be in a situation where they could go in a number of different directions in the 2019 NBA Draft.

A scenario we’ve mentioned here at KJG is them doing a trade-down with the Atlanta Hawks, and a potential deal, as was initially suggested by Fear The Sword’s Justin Rowan, would be Cleveland sending the fifth overall pick to Atlanta in exchange for the Hawks’ eighth and tenth overall pick.

It’s also been rumored that the Hawks could have the 10th and 17th overall picks for the fifth as well, in addition to other pieces (such as Kevin Love), as we’ve noted, and potential pieces for salary matching could be Atlanta’s Allen Crabbe or Kent Bazemore, as some other possible parts of a deal.

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Anyhow, as a result of the first suggested deal (which seems to make more sense), I believe Cleveland should consider a wing such as Duke’s Cam Reddish at eight, and with the tenth selection, the Cavs should strongly consider Gonzaga big Brandon Clarke.

Clarke was a mainstay in Gonzaga’s starting lineup in 2018-19, appearing in 37 games for the ‘Zags while averaging 16.9 points on 68.7% shooting and 8.6 rebounds (per Sports Reference).

But what really caught my eye is the fact that Clarke averaged 3.2 blocks last season, and has averaged 2.4 per game (again, per Sports Reference) in his three collegiate seasons. His first two were spent at San Jose State.

For being a 6-foot-8, 207-pound forward (per Tankathon), Clarke is an excellent shot blocker and is capable of guarding multiple positions. In addition to averaging over 3.0 blocks per game last year, Clarke also averaged 1.2 steals per contest and 1.7 per 40 minutes (per Sports Reference).

What’s also intriguing about Clarke is the fact that he put up nearly 17 points per game, while not really being a consistent outside shooter. But the fact that he struggles to shoot from the outside, and even seems hesitant at times to shoot the ball is a glaring weakness in his game.

Even at the free throw line, Clarke only hit 69.4% a season ago. He is an aggressive player but will need to improve that mark from the line.

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach John Beilein is a great offensive-minded coach, and would hopefully instill the confidence in Clarke to not only be afraid to let it fly, but ultimately improve Clarke’s three-point/jump shooting overall; Clarke was a career 25.0% three-point shooter in college, and he is a non-shooter at this point.

Where Clarke does excel on the offensive end is grabbing offensive rebounds (3.1 per game last season) and he can also finish around the rim as well as getting to the hoop in traffic, and his post game is pretty polished, and he is a very good finisher.

In the scenario presented above, the Cavaliers already have obtained an all-around caliber player in Cam Reddish, so taking the defensive-minded Clarke at 10 in the 2019 NBA Draft would be a great complement to Reddish.

As noted in an earlier article, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a nucleus in place already, so any rookie that comes in will not have to play outside of their game and have to be a primary scoring option.

In the case of Clarke, he can contribute on the defensive end of the floor if given meaningful minutes (which should be the case, especially if Cleveland eventually trades John Henson or Tristan Thompson, who are both expiring after 2019-20), while grabbing rebounds and making open shots when given the opportunity.

Clarke could even start with the second unit as he adjusts to the NBA game, but being that he will turn 23 before next season starts, I would expect Clarke to adjust to the NBA level rather quickly.

Having that good defensive base will give Clarke a leg up on many rookies coming into the league. With little questions surrounding his motor and skill on the defensive side of the ball, Clarke will be able to focus on improving his game on the offensive end.

In a league that has trended to scoring points at will over the last five years, it will be imperative that Clarke shows improvement on that end like Collin Sexton did during his rookie campaign a season ago, along with Cedi Osman in his first season playing a considerable amount of minutes.

The Cavaliers will likely have many options on the table when the 2019 NBA Draft begins, and if they are not able to get a player like Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver at fifth overall, Clarke is a solid backup plan for the Wine and Gold if they move back in the draft.