NBA Draft: Should Cleveland Cavaliers consider Scottie Barnes at #3?

I like Barnes, but not at that spot for the Cavs

Barnes will make an impact early on defensively, as a bench playmaker likely, and is an explosive finisher with great length, but I do question the shot creation aspect, at least early on, in set offense.

That will likely take time, although it will with Kuminga in relation to consistency, albeit in regards to both, if Cleveland were to seek a trade down with the Orlando Magic in exchange for #5 and #8, of which KJG’s Justin Brownlow weighed in on, I’d more so consider Barnes or Kuminga.

As Brownlow expressed though, and of which I agree with, Cleveland would be better off just taking seemingly Mobley or Green there. That’s with both being more proven in respective areas and with the Cavs’ current outlook.

Mobley I do believe could fit in spurts/stretches even with Allen, and with his touch generally, him also being a heck of a secondary playmaker, of which we’ll see more in the NBA, will make a difference.

Plus, he still does project as a big-time defender at the 4 or 5, and could mesh well with a variety of other Cavs anyhow, particularly with his 7-foot size, team defensive feel (2.9 blocks per game at USC) and his switchability. The perimeter shot I do think will come along too, and there were plenty of flashes of that in AAU play before USC.

From there, Green, who had 17.9 points per game in the G League bubble, projects to have superstar scoring abilities in the near future in the league, and is a highlight reel-level athlete that is so explosive.

I do believe him, Garland and Sexton could be really hard to defend for stretches for Cleveland, too, as was noted.

So looking back, to reiterate, no, Cleveland shouldn’t consider the 19-year-old Barnes that strongly at #3.