Cavs NBA Draft: Who’s best fit among Jalen Green, Evan Mobley and Jalen Suggs?
With the 2021 NBA Draft quickly approaching, the Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves in a position to potentially draft the franchise savior who can carry the mantle after LeBron James’ departure in 2018.
Though they aren’t picking at #1 with the chance to likely take Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham, there are still three other players who can blossom into All-Stars with the Cavaliers.
USC Center Evan Mobley, G League Ignite guard/wing Jalen Green and Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs all have shown their capability of becoming special down the road; however, deciding which player best fits on this young Cavaliers roster is an important decision that the Cavs need to make in their rebuild so far.
Now, two of the three will seemingly be available at Cleveland’s spot, but here, we’ll take a look at which of the three would be the best fit with the Cavs.
Cavs NBA Draft: Examining Jalen Green’s potential fit
With rumblings of the Cavs potentially trading shooting guard Collin Sexton, of which you can view more about here, the Cavs might be in the business of adding another wing scoring threat next to their young point guard, Darius Garland. To that point, Jalen Green can fill that void of team leading scorer.
Green showcased elite scoring potential in his G League bubble play with the Ignite, and while we’d have to see if he’d be there, as both Detroit and Houston are reportedly very high on him, if he were there, he could become Cleveland’s primary option fairly early on.
He averaged 17.9 points per game on some very encouraging shooting splits while showing he can put up buckets from anywhere on the court. Green could slide in either wing position for this young Cavaliers team, and would help with scoring and providing depth.
Cavs NBA Draft: Examining Evan Mobley’s potential fit
7-foot center Evan Mobley was stellar during his single season at USC. In just 33 games for the Trojans, Mobley showcased his ability as a versatile scorer averaging 16.8 points per game while posting double digits in points all but two games. He was also a monster on defense, averaging 2.9 blocks per game.
In the previous months, he has raised up 2021 NBA Draft boards during a single season, racking up awards, including the Pac-12 Player of the Year, while leading his team to the Elite 8, where they fell to Gonzaga.
If drafted to the Cleveland Cavaliers, you can make a case that he has an ideal fit in Cleveland as a potential Mobley-Allen frontcourt pairing could present defensive problems for any team they face. Mobley can slide to the 4, too, in plenty of stretches, as his skill and ability to shoot, which we could very well see more of in the NBA, could make him the ideal big to play next to Allen.
There’s others in the mix of course, but long term, those two could be a really good duo for the Cavs.
Cavs NBA Draft: Examining Jalen Suggs’ potential fit
Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs was great during his time with the Bulldogs. He shined as the floor general making big-time plays, leading his team to a near-undefeated record.
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He was solid in terms of production, averaging 14.5 points per game to go along with 4.5 assists. But furthermore, he showcased elite athleticism and uncanny ability to get it done on both ends of the floor that at times has drawn him comparisons to two-way point guards such as Jason Kidd and De’Aaron Fox.
Though the fits don’t feel as seamless as Mobley and Green, Suggs’ role can be a third guard to go with the Cavs’ dynamic backcourt of Darius Garland and Collin Sexton, similar to Tyrese Haliburton’s role on the Sacramento Kings.
Suggs can potentially come off the bench and provide an offensive and defensive spark that will be much needed on this Cavaliers roster next season. Or he could mesh well with Garland at the 2 if Sexton ends up being moved.
Albeit overall, any of the three taken would fit well on this Cleveland Cavaliers roster that is building towards bringing another talent to Cleveland.
But if I had to say the best fit for now, in the long term sense with the Mobley-Allen duo, I’d say Mobley would be the ideal one, provided the shooting is shown fairly early on.
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With his defensive abilities though, that, with Garland-Sexton and Allen could be the most favorable long term of these three prospects.