Cavs should strongly consider Bryce McGowens in 2022 NBA Draft

It’s safe to say that the Cleveland Cavaliers are a club that’s turned a corner this season, as they’re currently fifth in the Eastern Conference shortly after the All-Star break festivities.

The Cavaliers will have plenty of work to do still to ensure they’re in the postseason outright, with the East being so tightly-contested. I do believe with what they’ve shown, Cleveland can do so still.

With what they’ve demonstrated throughout this season, this is a resilient bunch that’s kept on churning out wins, despite a brutal schedule in the first third of the season, injuries and other ailments. I’m not going to overreact to an up-and-down February thus far, either.

Caris LeVert getting more time with Cleveland should help; him recently spraining his foot is unfortunate though; he’s expected to be out for 1-2 weeks, and was not in action at the Detroit Pistons on Thursday in a rough loss down the stretch. On a positive note, Lauri Markkanen was back against the Pistons, and despite an off night, he did help get Cleveland within striking distance at the end, and didn’t seem limited.

Now, the Cavs defense can often still be their calling card, and the club had two All-Stars this go-round in Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen (as James Harden’s injury replacement), with them as the host, and with other impactful bench pieces, this team is on the rise. Garland was out against Detroit; however, and per recently-promoted GM Mike Gansey and via Tom Withers of the Associated Press, Garland is dealing with “a bone bruise” in his back. He’ll continue to receive treatment and rest; it’s a situation that we’ll continue to keep a watchful eye on.

But even with Cleveland on the way up overall this season, I do still believe it’d be sensible for the team to be looking to add depth via the 2022 NBA Draft this coming summer.

The Cavaliers could very well not have a first-round pick, at least for now, because of them dealing their 2022 first to the Indiana Pacers as part of the package for LeVert. That pick is lottery-protected, though, so Cleveland could still end up having that pick. If they do make the postseason, they will still have two second-rounders via the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat (from Indy).

So who might be some targets for Cleveland in the second round? Playmakers such as Alondes Williams, Trevor Keels and Kennedy Chandler could work, and wings such as Wendell Moore Jr., Julian Strawther and Christian Braun come to mind.

One wing, in particular, I’d be all for the Cavaliers going with, feasibly with their Spurs pick (currently projected to be in the 35-40 range); that’s Bryce McGowens of Nebraska. Our own Justin Brownlow previously suggested him as a potential draft target for the Wine and Gold too, but I still thought it’d be reasonable to highlight McGowens here.

McGowens is a talented wing prospect that would make for a sensible target for the Cavs in the 2022 NBA Draft, and Cleveland could bring him along in coming years.

In my opinion, McGowens, if he’s there, would be a promising wing prospect for the Cavaliers to bring along gradually in coming years, but even early on, he could potentially be an additional shot creator and driver for Cleveland in stretches off the bench.