We’re in the thick of March Madness, and the NCAA Tournament has not disappointed. Cinderella Saint Peter’s has made an improbable run to the Sweet Sixteen, two top seeds in Baylor and Gonzaga have been bounced, and there’s still plenty to look forward to.
When it comes to the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ perspective regarding potential prospects, while they could very well be without a first-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, if they don’t make the postseason, the lottery would still be in-play. Cleveland’s first-rounder they sent to the Indiana Pacers in the Caris LeVert deal is lottery-protected.
Aside from that scenario, though, barring a trade into the first round by the Cavaliers, Cleveland is still set to have two second-round picks in June’s draft. Those are via the San Antonio Spurs (projected to be in the 37-40 range) and the Miami Heat (via Indiana, projected to be #57 currently).
I’d think that at least with one of their second-rounders, if Cleveland were to use both that is, they could find value there, and perhaps the likes of Christian Braun, Bryce McGowens, Malaki Branham, Julian Strawther or Nikola Jovic could be nice finds for the Cavs, involving wings. I also could foresee the Cavaliers looking to snag a combo guard in the upcoming draft, that can help potentially with bench scoring and playmaking, to some degree.
A few guys that come to mind in that realm are Trevor Keels, if he were to fall, along with Alondes Williams or Keon Ellis, among others. A player that might prove to be a quality second-rounder, though, perhaps even with Miami’s second, could be Caleb Love out of North Carolina.
Love has had some ups and downs, but he’s a player that could potentially become a valuable Cavs bench shot creator.
We’ve seen Darius Garland have a breakout season in Year 3 for the Wine and Gold, and last month’s first All-Star nod for him repping the host Cavs could be the first of many of those to come for Garland. He’s an emerging star for the Cavaliers that is just getting started.
That said, even with both Collin Sexton, who has missed most of this season due to injury, and potentially Caris LeVert being key shot creators/drivers in coming years, if they stick around, the Cavs could use another shot creator. That’s feasibly a player that could be filling in for stretches at either the 1 or 2, and a player that can help at least somewhat with reserve playmaking would make a difference.
How Love would be a bench upgrade that could provide youthful energy
To the last point, Brandon Goodwin has done a decent job as a two-way contributor this season, and while he currently won’t be eligible for the postseason, he has done a pretty nice job in his opportunities. I don’t foresee there being a high likelihood that Goodwin were to be back next season, however, and though he could be a viable veteran presence, Rajon Rondo is currently dealing with an ankle sprain, and has been dealing with injury on and off in his time with the Cavs this season. He’s 36, too.
That brings me to the aforementioned Love, who is a sophomore at UNC, and will turn 21 during what should be his rookie campaign. It’s not necessarily a certainty that Love gets drafted, but even with inconsistencies and off games at times, such as his five-point performance in UNC’s win over Baylor in the tourney, he has shown he can fill it up in ACC play and in plenty of other occasions.
Love, who has had 15.3 points and 3.7 assists per contest this season for the Tar Heels, again has had highs and lows this season. Even still, he has had 16.2 points per outing this year in ACC play, and on a volume of 6.7 three-point attempts per contest, he’s connected on 36.7 percent of his deep attempts in conference play. He also has hit 86.8 percent of his free throws in his sophomore campaign.
While he’s not a great finisher in the paint at this point, Love could end up being a valuable shot creator in coming years for Cleveland in bench units, given his propensity to get hot from deep, and he’s more than capable of knocking down shots off-the-bounce.
He could make a noticeable impact in lineups with Garland/Sexton or LeVert for Cleveland in coming years, and Love could be a knockdown shooter working some more off-ball with the Wine and Gold for stretches.
In addition, even with him being a shoot-first player, the 6-foot-4, 195-pound Love could be a meaningful pick-and-roll presence that can be a solid playmaker in those situations in non-Garland stretches, too. He had 11 games of at least five assists in regular season play for UNC this season.
Love’s shooting abilities should warrant the Cavs’ consideration
Though Love has been streaky this season for the Tar Heels, who have had something of a rollercoaster season overall, and the sophomore’s effective field goal shooting has been 45.8 percent and 42.0 percent through two seasons, his on-ball potential and shot-making could be a boost for Cleveland.
His range and separation abilities could lead to him potentially being a key bench scorer for the Cavaliers, seemingly echoing our own Justin Brownlow’s take. And whether or not Sexton/LeVert are around long term, Love’s shot creation and scoring skill set should warrant consideration from the Wine and Gold in the 2022 NBA Draft, set to commence on June 23.
Love and the Tar Heels are set to take on UCLA on Friday night in the Sweet Sixteen, where he’ll look to have more along the lines of his 6-three-point performance in the first round against Marquette as opposed to that second round game versus Baylor. He fouled out in that one in 32 minutes and was only 1-of-6 from the field.
But to reiterate, to ease the pressure on Garland, Love would make for a quality draft target for Cleveland, also with his feel for generating free throws.
So, while I can’t fault for Cleveland for looking to maybe go with another veteran backup guard option next season, Love’s a guard prospect that could definitely be a worthy player in the rotation that could thrive at the NBA level with his on-ball abilities, handle and range. He did show playmaking growth as this season has progressed, too.