Cleveland Cavaliers: 2021 NBA Draft Preview

2021 NBA Draft Preview: Final Thoughts

The Cleveland Cavaliers hope not to pick as high as No. 3 in the NBA Draft for a long time, with the organizational expectation that this team will improve next season on its path towards once again contending at the top of the Eastern Conference. That makes it vital that they hit on this pick.

Their past three lottery picks, while all talented, have not landed on a foundational star player yet. Collin Sexton is an incredibly hard worker and has developed into a great scoring guard, but he’s not going to be a Top 30 player in the league. Darius Garland has untapped potential, but he’s probably not the next Chris Paul or even Mike Conley. Isaac Okoro is just raw but hasn’t shown that level of upside yet.

The player they take Thursday night needs to be that player, one who can be a top two player on a contender. Whether it is Evan Mobley changing their defensive identity or one of the “Jalens” boosting them on offense, the Cavaliers need to find the player who will be a difference maker for this young core.

Cleveland also can’t jump the gun, thinking they are closer than they are. The Cavs are not last year’s Phoenix Suns, looking for the big swing that will take them from lottery team to the NBA Finals. This team has a long ways to go to build a contender, and short-changing that process is the wrong way to go.

In the end, the Cavaliers have a variety of different paths they can take, from who they take at No. 3 to whether or not Sexton is traded during the draft. It will be worth Cleveland fans keeping a close watch on their team as the draft unfolds. What happens could change this franchise forever.