Cavs 2022 NBA Draft Big Board Top 5: Who to take at the top?

The Cleveland Cavaliers have mined the ranks of incoming basketball talent to add a number of players to their current roster. Collin Sexton (8th), Darius Garland (5th), Isaac Okoro (5th) and Evan Mobley (3rd) represent top-10 picks from each of the last four NBA Drafts.

This year will most likely see that streak end, as the Cavs’ strong season saw them finish eighth in the Eastern Conference and land 14th in the lottery order after losing their two Play-In Tournament games. Most likely Cleveland will choose a player at 14th to try to fill in the final gaps in this young core.

If the Cavs land a top-4 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday night, how should they order the very best players available?

Most likely is not absolutely, though, and the NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday night will ultimately dictate exactly where they land. When the ping pong balls are spun and the draft slots selected, there is a 2.4 percent chance the Cavs leap up into the Top 4. That sort of leap, which evokes memories of a similar leap to No. 1 in the Kyrie Irving draft, could mean adding another elite prospect to an already talented group.

Let’s dig into that slim possibility, that 1-in-41 chance that mathematically happens every so often even if it seems like a massive longshot. What if the Cavs do make the leap into the Top 4? Who should they take at No. 1, and so on for each spot? In other words, who are the top players on their Big Board in this draft – how would they rank them, and why?