As the Cleveland Cavaliers will finish yet another failed season soon, we once again have the privilege of looking forward to the draft, and 2021 NBA Draft should be a loaded one. With that being said there are potential franchise changers in this draft.
For one, if the Cavaliers were lucky enough to land #1 overall, it appears obvious that they, or others, would likely select Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham, who seems to be a near-consensus top pick.
They might have another option not far off though, and that would be Jalen Green, who decided to skip the college route and jump straight into the NBA G League. Green is a 6-foot-6 guard who looks to be a polished scorer and has made strides as a playmaker, dating back to the AAU circuit and in playing time with the G League Ignite in the league’s bubble.
While with the Ignite, it wasn’t the biggest sample size in 15 games, but his all-around scoring was on display, as Green averaged 18 points per game to go along with 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
So along those lines, lets go over a few potential career outcomes for Green if he were to be selected by the Cavaliers.
The first possible outcome could be looked at a crucial position off the bench in a key shot creation role.
#1: A key bench shot creator/scorer for the Cavs
With starting point guard Darius Garland at the helm, who I believe is Cleveland’s primary playmaker of the future, it would seem difficult for Green to find minutes at that position. Given his height at 6-foot-6 he’s more than likely going to have to play the shooting guard position which is occupied by Collin Sexton, albeit we could see Green at small forward some, perhaps.
Coming off the bench for rookies is pretty common in the NBA considering the fact that in this league it’s all about proving yourself and worth to the team that drafted you. Both Sexton and Green are of the combo guard variety, so they would most likely split time or it would have to be up to head coach J.B. Bickerstaff/the Cavs coaching staff to make that decision for who should and who shouldn’t start regularly.
Jalen’s offensive ability to shoot and score in all different ways could be a big plus if he were to come off the bench for the Cavs, though, almost similar to Jordan Clarkson, who was traded to the Utah Jazz from the Cavaliers in 2019, which eventually worked out in his favor.
Another comparison would be NBA vet Lou Williams who now plays for the Atlanta Hawks. In other words if the Cavs were to select Green in the 2021 NBA Draft, they would definitely benefit greatly in having a talent like that as a key shot creator/scorer coming off their bench.
He has made considerable strides as a jump shooter, has incredible body control, can finish above the rim and him having hit 36.5 percent from three-point range in G League play was encouraging on nearly six attempts per contest.