After the results of Tuesday’s NBA Draft Lottery, it’s easier to narrow down the prospects that the Cleveland Cavaliers front office will likely be taking a look at. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve talked about a lot of the best wing prospects that may or may not be on the board when the Cavaliers decide who the 14th pick will be.
With his offensive arsenal, and his ability to help an NBA team right away next season, Bennedict Mathurin is a player I doubt will be available when the Cavs are on the clock. Ochai Agbaji is another prospect who has the ability to help whoever drafts him immediately next season, so the chances of him being available to the Cavs could seemingly be low.
On the other end of the spectrum, Jaden Hardy is definitely expected to be on the board when the Cavaliers pick in the late lottery. After he struggled to shoot efficiently in the G-League this now-past season, combined with his questionable shot selection, he’s probably a bit of a risk to a lot of teams. Personally, I think he’s worth the risk because of his playmaking abilities.
Another prospect I’d expect to be on the board is LSU’s Tari Eason. He’s an explosive athlete who tore up the best college basketball conference in the country this season. However, outside of fastbreak opportunities, he struggles to be effective in a halfcourt offense.
Today, we’re going to take a look at a prospect, who five months ago would have been a likely top-8 pick, but has started to dip in mock drafts of late. Johnny Davis out of Wisconsin is a dynamic guard who is a great shot creator, and has the potential to be an excellent defender at the next level. But, questionable decision-making and a lack of NBA speed have hampered him a bit early on in the 2022 NBA Draft process.
At the end of the day, I think Davis is too good of a shot creator and has so many good defensive traits, that he is unlikely to be on the board at 14. Even having said that, weirder things have happened on draft night.