The Cleveland Cavaliers’ season thus far has been like the Millenium Force, a roller coaster at Cedar Point, in Sandusky, Ohio. The Cavs sky-rocketed to start the year, capping it all off with a 91-89 comeback win over the Boston Celtics. That win came in the midst of a stretch of the season that saw the Cavs win six of seven games. During the stretch, the Cavaliers beat the Blazers, Raptors, and the Knicks.
Just like the roller coaster in Sandusky, the Cavs season has turned into a free-fall, with a lot of that being due to injury. Collin Sexton was injured in the Cavs’ victory over the Knicks on November 7th. The Cavaliers won the game, but afterward, the news broke that Collin Sexton tore his meniscus. What looked like a month-long absence turned into a season-long one, as Sexton then had surgery to shut him down for the rest of the season.
On top of all the Sexton news, Lauri Markkanen and Jarrett Allen have missed multiple games with illness. However, the worst blow of all came when rookie stand-out Evan Mobley left the Cavs’ November 15th game versus the Celtics with an injured elbow. After losing the game, we found out that Mobley suffered a sprained elbow and would be out up to a month. Since the Mobley injury, the Cavs have lost four straight to the Celtics, Warriors, and Nets (twice). While that is a tough stretch, the Cavs have looked bad in the losses.
The Cavs are battling injuries and losses, and fans can find an outlet by watching some key draft prospects in big college basketball games.
With Mobley and Sexton missing significant time, now is a better time than ever to get a look at some of the prospects who will be in the 2022 NBA Draft. Last week, we previewed a couple of games, and we got to see some great prospects on display. Purdue guard Jaden Ivey was sensational in the first game of the Cheez-It Hall of Fame Tip-Off. He scored 22 points and grabbed ten rebounds to get a huge double-double in the Boilermaker’s win over North Carolina. After beating the Tar Heels, he was bad in the championship of the tip-off versus Villanova. Purdue got the win, but Ivey only had ten points and shot 33% from the field, although he did pitch in seven assists and seven rebounds.
Duke stretch-four Paolo Banchero had a decent two games last week. Versus Gardner-Webb, the silky shooter had 10 points and 8 rebounds while shooting 44% from the field. When Duke took on Louisiana-Lafayette, he only played ten 20 minutes, but they weren’t very convincing. He had 11 points while shooting 33% from the field. If he wants to continue to be in the conversation for the first pick, he needs to be better versus weak opponents. Much better.
Finally, freshman wing, Caleb Houstan’s stock is getting lower and lower while he’s at Michigan. In three games last week, two of them being Michigan losses, he combined to score 15 points while shooting under 25%. He really needs to pick his game up, or his stock could drop below the lottery.
Now that we’ve caught you up on last week, let’s look ahead to an exciting week of games coming up.
This Week In College Hoops: Feast Week!
Outside of conference championship weekend, and the tournament, of course, this may be the best college basketball week of the year. The end of November is a great time to get a look at some of the best players who will be wearing NBA uniforms next season. There are multiple tournaments going on this week, and to see the best players thus far this season we will be focusing on The Good Sam Empire Classic, Battle 4 Atlantis, and the NIT Season Tip-Off. We will be looking at players like Chet Holmgren, Johnny Juzang, Jalen Duren, and more, so let’s get started.
The Good Sam Empire Classic
This new four-team classic will be taking place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The four teams competing are Central Michigan, Bellarmine, UCLA, and Gonzaga. Last night, the Zags took on Central Michigan and UCLA faced off with Bellarmine. However, the results of that game don’t really matter. The meeting everyone in the country wants to see is happening tonight when the Bruins of UCLA face off with Gonzaga in a re-match of last year’s incredible Final Four finish. The game is slated for a 10:00 PM ET tip-off and will be televised on ESPN.
While a lot of the other tournaments have some great players, there are really just two or three elite prospects in Las Vegas this week. Let’s just start it off with the possible 2022 NBA Draft number one pick Chet Holmgren. The freshman 7-footer has started out the season well for the Zags. Through four games he’s averaging just over 11 points per game, while also hauling in seven rebounds and four assists. As a big man, he’s very polished with his footwork and is a great shooter. It will be interesting to see how UCLA deals with the size of Holmgren and Gonzaga junior Drew Timme. It’s no secret that Holmgren needs to put on weight, a lot of it. However, he’s looked “as-advertised” thus far into the season, and I don’t see any player on UCLA being able to shut him down. This could be the Chet Holmgren break-through game.
Not to be outdone by his opponent, UCLA freshman Peyton Watson will look to break through tonight as well. However, unlike Holmgren, Watson has been disappointing thus far. In two games against North Florida and CSU-Bakersfield, he played at least 20 minutes, but only averaged 6.5 points. The more troubling aspect is that in UCLA’s other two games versus Villanova and Long Beach State, he only played a total of 14 minutes. It’s clear he’s not a finished product, and he has a lot of upside, but thus far he has not looked like a lottery player. He will be facing a very good Gonzaga defense, so now would be a good time for him to show the world he’s a future lottery pick.
Battle 4 Atlantis
The Battle 4 Atlantis is always a memorable early-season tournament. Whether that is due to the great games, or the fact that on the television it looks like the players are all playing in a huge ballroom, it’s definitely a good time. This year’s field features Auburn, Arizona State, Baylor, UConn, Michigan State, Syracuse, VCU, and Loyola-Chicago. There will be an influx of talent in the Bahamas, including Jabari Smith of Auburn, Marcus Bagley of Arizona State, and Kendall Brown of Baylor. Let’s take a look at those three future NBA rookies.
Jabari Smith is probably the highest touted of all of the prospects in this field. He’s almost a lock to be a lottery pick and has looked like it this season. He’s still working his way into form but has played high minutes in all three of Auburn’s games. In his best game versus Louisiana-Monroe, he recorded his first college double-double, grabbing ten rebounds and scoring 23 points. He’s also been a force on the glass, snagging nearly nine per game. He’s a very good shot-blocker, and projects to be a high-level rim-protector at the NBA level. He needs to work on his mid-range game, but he is a solid three-point shooter. It’s possible the big man will face off with another first-rounder in Kendall Brown of Baylor.
Speaking of Brown, he’s looked tremendous this season for the Bears. After losing a lot of their team to graduation or the draft, Brown has filled in where Davion Mitchell and Jared Butler left off. Through four games, he’s averaging a cool fifteen points per game. He is also adding in three assists and four rebounds. When you first see Brown, you will immediately make the connection to Cade Cunningham. They both have a similar 6-8 frame and are guards/wings. However, while he has been good, he’s nowhere near as good as Cunningham was. At least not yet. The best part of Brown so far? He’s shooting 70% from the field.
Marcus Bagley is just a fun prospect to watch, and he also should be drafted in the first round next year. He’s not the most high-profile guy on this list, but he’s still a very good college player. The sophomore forward is averaging 10 points per game this year while shooting 39% from the field. He hasn’t shown off any elite abilities quite yet, but he’s a very good rebounder and playmaker as a four. On top of that his shooting should get better as the year goes on.
NIT Season Tip-Off
Honestly, there’s not a lot to watch from this early-season tournament. However, with Memphis being a team in the field, there’s at least two reasons to watch. Those reasons are Jalen Duren and Emoni Bates. Both players re-classified to the class of 2021, and both are playing at Memphis this year under head coach Penny Hardaway. Unfortunately, Bates won’t be able to enter the 2022 NBA Draft, which is frustrating in and of itself, but that’s for a different time. The good news is Duren will be in the NBA next year, and getting an early look at Bates is not only a good idea, but he’s very fun to watch as well.
Jalen Duren would likely have been the top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, but he bet on himself and re-classified. Overall Duren is kind of an old-school big man. He’s been sensational so far, even though Memphis hasn’t really been playing the toughest schedule. Through four games he’s averaging fifteen points per game, almost 11 rebounds, and almost five blocks per game. Yes, you read that right, five blocks per game.
Obviously, he is projected to be an elite rim protector, even during his first few games in the league. He’s also shooting 75% from the field, which is impressive for a forward. Duren will continue to dominate the college ranks, so it would be wise for him to start working more on extending his range, and his shooting overall. Within five feet of the rim, he is elite, however, to be elite in the NBA he needs to develop an arsenal of different ways to score. Now, with all that being said, out of all the freshmen thus far, Duren has looked the best.
Even though Bates won’t be in the draft, barring a major change, it’s fun to watch him play. The skinny 6-8 wing is averaging just over thirteen points per game while shooting 47% from the field. Overall Bates is an explosive and exciting player. He’s got a great shooting stroke, and his offensive arsenal is huge. He, like Holmgren, needs to put on a lot of weight before he gets to the NBA. If he continues to improve and add strength, the comparison between Bates and Kevin Durant might get the slightest bit more realistic.
As I said, it’s tough to be a Cavs fan right now. Evan Mobley was looking so promising, and even though I’m sure he’ll pick up where he left off, it sucks not being able to watch him. With that being said, the Sexton injury does propose some interesting scenarios. I’m not ready to start talking about that yet, but I’m not far off.
Take my advice and when you’re watching Emoni Bates, Kendall Brown, Peyton Watson, or any other college players this week, picture them in a Cavs uniform. Is it going to help the Cavs right now? No, of course not. Will it make you feel better for about two hours? Absolutely. Have a great feast week everyone!