As the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to navigate through the early stages of their rebuild and decide who would be best for them in the 2020 NBA Draft, here, we’ll highlight the three best prospects for them in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Before the NBA’s current season went on hiatus in regards to the novel coronavirus pandemic, and of which it is uncertain if it will eventually resume in some way down the road, the Cleveland Cavaliers were 19-46. Although, they were 5-6 post-All-Star break since J.B. Bickerstaff took over as the head coach.
In terms of projecting for next season, it’s probably still way too early to expect the Cavs to really challenge for a playoff spot. The Cavaliers still have too far to go where they can legitimately get in the playoff conversation with the amount of youth and the way the roster is constructed.
While the 2020 NBA Draft is considered weak and doesn’t have elite talent at the top, that’s a completely different story with the 2021 NBA Draft. I think you have three guys that have number one overall talent.
Wing is the premier position in basketball, but the last two years Cedi Osman has manned that position. This isn’t a knock on Osman, who has played the 3 the last two years, as I think he can be a really good role player, but he is probably best served coming off the bench.
You can say the Cavaliers need a legitimate point guard, but Darius Garland has shown flashes of vision and passing, and point guard is the hardest position to learn. The Cavs have some nice intriguing young players in Collin Sexton, Kevin Porter Jr. and Garland, but unless you have a transcendent talent, you will see a lot of growing pains offensively and defensively with a pair of young 6-foot-1 guards.
Aside from wing, the amount of youth the Cavs have and all the defensive issues they have, the biggest need for the Wine and Gold is they’re missing a centerpiece for this rebuild. The last time the Cavs went through a long rebuild it didn’t take long for them to get Kyrie Irving.
Irving won Rookie of the Year, and early on, he established himself as an All-Star-caliber talent. Other teams that have rebuilt or are rebuilding such as the Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks have gotten some franchise players such as Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson, Ja Morant and Trae Young.
This is really the biggest need, so this Cavs’ rebuild can take the next step. Here, we’ll highlight three prospects in a loaded 2021 NBA Draft that could be that franchise guy for Cleveland.