3 defensive prospects Cavs could target in 2020 Draft if James Wiseman is off board
By Corey Casey
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be in a similar draft position as they were this past draft, and I believe James Wiseman going into the college basketball season as the best prospect in the 2020 NBA Draft, but what if the Cavs can’t grab him? Here are three prospects in the 2020 Draft that can potentially still be plus defenders for Cleveland and help establish a winning culture on that end of the floor.
The Cleveland Cavaliers finished the 2018-19 season with a 19-63 record tying them with the Phoenix Suns for the second-worst record last year (per NBA.com). Playing off that, the Cavs’ over-under is the second-lowest in the NBA next year at 24.5 wins (per Odds Shark), and only the Charlotte Hornets are projected to have fewer wins at 23.5.
For obvious reasons, Cleveland will be in the running for the number one pick again in the 2020 NBA Draft. The Cavs will likely be extremely young, as the season progresses, in particular, and in the NBA youth often equates to growing pains and inconsistencies.
Also while the Cavs made the right choice taking Darius Garland at fifth overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, as he has a chance to be a star, it will likely make the defense, which had the worst defensive rating in the NBA last year (per NBA.com), even worse.
Ideally the Cavs would get the number one pick and take big James Wiseman number one overall, and I currently give him the edge as the number one prospect in this upcoming draft, but he’s also a need pick as well.
I wrote a few weeks ago that Wiseman would be the defensive anchor and rim protector the Cavs need to help change the current defensive culture, but as Cavs fans found out this past May, having one of the worst records doesn’t guarantee anything in the current lottery format.
Wiseman isn’t viewed as a genearational prospect, but he’s the number one guy going into the season, and though you wouldn’t think the Cleveland Cavaliers would have a big drop two years in a row, with the new lottery odds, there is no guarantees.
With that in mind, here are three other prospects that can help change the current defensive culture for the better right away if the Cavs don’t get Wiseman.