3 NBA Draft prospects for Cavs to target in second round

3 NBA Draft prospects for Cavs to target: Josh Minott, Forward, Memphis

The Memphis Tigers were something of a mess last season, losing inexplicable games early in the season to bad teams. Top freshmen Jalen Duren and Emoni Bates were both disappointments of varying levels, and head coach Penny Hardaway couldn’t seem to figure out how to balance his freshmen with his veteran players. They eventually righted the ship enough to make the NCAA Tournament and lose a close game to top-seeded Gonzaga in the Second Round.

The insanity of that season makes evaluating Memphis’ talent a difficult proposition. That goes for Duren, an expected lottery pick, and it goes for a less-heralded freshman on the team, Josh Minott. The 6’8″ forward barely played early in the season and down the stretch, but he suddenly got big minutes for much of conference play and delivered.

He is an active defender who constantly generated steals with fast hands, and he rebounded well, especially for his size and position. On offense, he doesn’t have much of a shot but his 75.4 percent from the line suggests this could be an area of quick development. He is an underrated passer as well, with more assists than turnovers this season. If things come together he’s a chaos-inducing defender with passing and shooting chops, and he will almost certainly be available in the second round.

The three prospects above all have good size and defensive ability, which are both likely at the top of the list for this front office. Any of them have a great chance to develop into something reliable for the Cavs, and as their young stars get more expensive adding inexpensive talent in the second round becomes even more important.