Cavs draft: B/R has CLE going with the electric Jalen Green in recent mock

The Cleveland Cavaliers are kind of well…down bad right now.

Coming into Tuesday’s win over the Atlanta Hawks, the Cavs had lost 10 straight games, and while Darius Garland, Collin Sexton and Jarrett Allen have clearly been bright spots lately, and the Cavs have missed Kevin Love, and Larry Nance Jr.’s all-around impact, it’s evident that Cleveland needs help in the next draft with star potential.

And that’s not going to be realistic via potential trade, factoring in Andre Drummond/Love, to some degree, perhaps in the offseason for the latter, who has had his share of injury struggles.

Thankfully, the 2021 NBA Draft could have either players with some notable versatility, such as combo forward prospect Jalen Johnson, or Scottie Barnes, for example, who has played at the 1 for Florida State this season. Barnes at 6-foot-9 could be a multi-positional player for years to come, but does need to further progress on-ball/as a shooter.

Jaden Springer or James Bouknight could be intriguing fits as well.

That said, given how Cleveland’s season has been turning out, albeit the schedule has been brutal, it looks as if the Cavaliers could very well be in position to land a potential franchise-altering player, and a high selection in the next draft.

Cade Cunningham looks to be shaping up to be a consensus #1-type prospect, but three-to-four guys, at least at the moment, could have superstar potential along with Cade, from my perspective.

In no particular order, aside from Cunningham, those in that realm I believe are 4/5 Evan Mobley, combo forward Jonathan Kuminga, combo guard/wing Jalen Green and perhaps Jalen Suggs as more so a lead playmaker.

And at this point, regardless of what plays out, the Cavs, this go-round, just need guys that have the highest upside at their said pick in the next draft.

In that realm, in his latest mock, which was released on Monday, it was interesting to see Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman go with Green for the Cavaliers at #3, with him slotting Kuminga at #4 for the Washington Wizards, for context.

Here was that rationale from Wasserman.

"“Needs shouldn’t matter to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who should be chasing star potential. And Jalen Green‘s continues to look more enticing by the game in the G League bubble, especially after he hit five of six three-pointers Monday afternoon.He’s now averaging 17.6 points on 50.5 percent shooting, efficiently producing with his elite quickness and explosiveness, as well as budding scoring skills for creation and shot-making.He’s also extinguishing pre-bubble concerns with some encouraging glimpses of passing and defensive activity.Taking Green just means the Cavaliers may have to think about playing Isaac Okoro more at the 4 or bringing one of their starting guards off the bench.”"

Green is electric, and I’d understand where the Cavs would be coming from in selecting him.

In eight appearances so far for the G League Ignite playing primarily at the 2, with Kuminga at the 3 mostly for them, Green has had 17.6 points per game on 58.1 percent effective field goal shooting. That’s included him hitting 37.5 percent of his 5.0 three-point attempts per outing thus far in the G League bubble in Orlando.

What he’s shown in the shooting realm on the perimeter, both in off-ball situations in playing off former longtime NBA point guard Jarrett Jack (a former Cav) as a spot-up threat, but also as an off-the-bounce shooter, has really popped.

It’s of course been eight games to this point in G League play, but both Green and Kuminga making their presences felt in the G League, as opposed to against college kids, to a large extent, shouldn’t be discounted, either, from a maturity standpoint.

So what would be the potential role early on for Green, from a Cavs perspective? I could foresee him for a bit coming off the bench, and feasibly spelling one of the Garland/Sexton duo, but at 6-foot-6, could fill in at times at the 3, although he is only 178 pounds.

Albeit pretty early on in the season, if Green’s shooting does keep on what looks to have been on an upward trajectory, as it seemingly has been thus far with there being some question marks off-the-bounce coming out of high school/AAU, I could see him at the starting 2.

More from King James Gospel

• 3 possible starting lineups for Cleveland Cavaliers in 2023-24
• The Cavaliers may have snagged a hidden gem in Craig Porter Jr.
• 4 players the Cavaliers should pursue in 2024 free agency
• 6 players Cavaliers might replace Jarrett Allen with by the trade deadline
• This stat is one to keep an eye on for Cavaliers’ Max Strus in years ahead

That’d be with Collin Sexton at the 1, and although he’s not the passer of Garland, Sexton has made strides in that regard dating back to last season this season, and has had a respectable 4.2 assists per game.

And factoring in maybe Love if he’s around, definitely Nance and somewhat Isaac Okoro/Cedi Osman, Cleveland could still make playmaking work.

If the Wine and Gold can find ways to be more disruptive and/or play with pace, though, perhaps the Garland-Sexton-Green trio could work for stretches, with key 4 man playmaking and in some respects, perhaps the sturdy Okoro at the 4, as Wasserman suggested.

If the Cavs were in that scenario at #3, though, and Kuminga is available, with him more naturally suited to play the 3 even at 6-foot-6, with him being a put-together 210 pounds with room to grow, I’d rather go him.

Kuminga’s mid-post feel/footwork, combined with what he’s shown in pick-and-roll creation via hesitations, power and also tertiary playmaking ability in settled situations and in the open floor, and his defensive versatility in defense of 3’s and 4’s and being able to wall up against forwards leads to give him the edge.

But I do acknowledge Wasserman’s reasoning. Rest assured, the Cavs should obviously be looking to land a player with a star-level ceiling in the 2021 NBA Draft, and if they can find a way to move up via trade if needed to do so, then general manager Koby Altman and company should likely do so.

If Kevin Love were to be involved potentially and/or trading of a future first-round pick while taking back salary matching, then so be it.

Moreover, Jalen Green’s abilities off the dribble via hesitations himself, combined with his burst, straight-line speed, body control, and high flying as a dunker, both on and off-ball even, would make him difficult to pass up in the event Cade Cunningham is not on the board.

The 19-year-old Green, while the assist totals haven’t necessarily illuminated it, has shown some growth as a passer as well early on in G League play, too, for what it’s worth, as Wasserman noted.

Anyway, one thing’s for certain: the 2021 NBA Draft conversation for Cavs fans, and I’d imagine the organization behind closed doors, is only beginning. So buckle up, Wine and Gold faithful.