2020 NBA Draft prospect Devin Vassell would project as quality wing contributor early for Cavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers would benefit from Vassell’s anticipation

Vassell’s instincts, especially on the defensive end, stand out from his play. He again had 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks per contest in 2019-20 for FSU, which allowed them to convert defense to offense on a number of occasions.

Vassell is a very active team defender, and while he is not a top-end athlete, his anticipation often puts him in the right place at the right time and that led to deflections as a stunter to drivers and steals on the weak side, as one can see plenty of here.

That sort of dynamic would help a Cavs team often playing young pieces and should aid Cleveland’s bigs in terms of Vassell being able to help inside to contest interior looks as a rotator.

Additionally, Vassell does do a solid job of deterring drivers and his recognition enables him to defend on-ball and stay attached on to pick-and-roll ball handlers on the perimeter, which could help the Cavaliers.

In terms of the offensive end, Vassell does have good feel for countering hard closeouts, too, and is capable of utilizing escape dribbles at times to take advantage of defenders crashing out to deter initial catch-and-shoots, leading to easier looks.

Also, if he were to be selected by the Cavs, factoring in Andre Drummond as a post-up threat, and Kevin Love in the mid-post, Vassell could get his share of quality more in-rhythm looks following hard closeouts, given his spot-up ability. That could lead to high percentage mid-range pull-ups, which he showed he’s capable of getting to this past season and hitting.

Lastly, in the transition game, while his overall assist totals don’t illuminate it, Vassell is a great decision-maker as a passer in those instances, which could help the likes of Porter and Sexton, for instance.

So, while he is not a top-end athlete, and the 194-pound Vassell does need to add meaningful weight, his polished pull-up shooting at least in the mid-range, spot-up prowess and anticipation, especially defensively, leads me to believe he’d be a quality wing contributor even early on for Cleveland.

More so at the fifth or sixth selection in the 2020 NBA Draft, a Cavs pick of Devin Vassell shouldn’t lead to complaints, as the aforementioned Beebe expressed.

Either way, Vassell could be a really productive wing for the Wine and Gold in coming years, feasibly in filling in at the 3 and in some instances, the 2, and help hopefully contribute to winning early on, similarly to Okoro or Williams (as a 3/4). Although, Vassell is clearly a much more polished shooter than the other two, but make no mistake, I’d be more than fine with any of the three.

Perhaps the Cavs would ultimately select Vassell if all three were available at their selection, but we’ll have to see.