NBA Draft: 3 second-round prospects Cavs should be interested in

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Pepperdine wing Kessler Edwards shoots the ball. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Right now, the Cleveland Cavaliers don’t have a second-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. But as usual, there will be some teams looking to “sell” second-round picks for salary cap reasons, and because they simply don’t have room on their roster for another player.

Usually if you want to buy into the second round, it’s between the 44th-60th overall picks. The Cavs roster right now has a lot of names on it, but not necessarily a lot of talent. It might be a good idea to buy a late second-round pick if, for nothing else, to add more talent to the roster.

All evidence is pointing to the fact that the Cavs will likely select Evan Mobley with the third overall pick. With an already crowded frontcourt, the Cavaliers should take a flyer on some of these projected second-round guards and wings below.

Potential Cavs second-round target #1: Kessler Edwards, Wing, Pepperdine

Kessler Edwards has the ability to make an instant impact on whichever team drafts him. He’s a solid shooter, and an above average perimeter defender. Overall, he is a well-rounded player that is creative in finding ways to score. He is a tall-rangy defender, and with time could develop into a solid low-post defender. He has the body to be a rim-protector, too.

He measures in at 6-foot-8 with a wingspan that is longer than seven feet (7-foot-1.5). Edwards is the type of prospect who could have a very high ceiling, but is not safe overall. On the offensive side of the ball, I see a little bit of Mikal Bridges out of Edwards.

However, there are some question marks surrounding his game. As good as he is on defense, he lacks that first-step explosion that you like to see in wings. Also while we are seeing more and more bigs handle the ball in the NBA, that will not be a role Edwards can take on. He really needs to improve his ball-handling.

In the end, potentially drafting any second-round player comes with risk, but especially with Edwards, it might be worth it if the Cavaliers look to do so.