How 2022 NBA Draft prospect Jake LaRavia could help the Cavs
By Dan Gilinsky
LaRavia could potentially be a point-forward-type player for the Cavs for stretches, and could be an impactful off-ball defender
LaRavia displayed guard-like playmaking abilities in college, and played as a lead playmaker during his share of time in high school, as pointed out by ESPN’s Mike Schmitz in a recent video breakdown with LaRavia. And LaRavia had 3.7 assists per outing with Wake in 2021-22, for what it’s worth, and had 2.3 in 2020-21 with Indiana State.
Granted, there are some turnovers from LaRavia at times against pressure; he had 2.7 per game this past season.
A lack of explosiveness could hinder the on-ball abilities, but his passing feel and sense for finding great shots for others on the wing could help Cleveland’s ball movement.
On the defensive end, the 6-foot-9, 227-pound LaRavia could project as an impact off-ball defender, considering he had 1.7 steals and 1.5 steals per game the past two seasons. He diagnoses and times up movement passes as a rotator well, and with help from other guys such as Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Isaac Okoro/Lamar Stevens, LaRavia could make his presence felt as a disruptor off-ball.
His size, positioning and functional strength could make him a meaningful rotational rebounder as well for Cleveland, and I don’t discount that.
Quickness and lack of burst could limit him against NBA starting-caliber wings on-ball defensively, in fairness, and his rotations to shooters need work. Those are not areas of strength for him at the moment.
Generally, however, as we’ve touched on, with his point-forward-type qualities, off-ball feel and catch-and-shoot/spacer potential, LaRavia would make for a nice addition for the Cavs, feasibly in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft.
Next. Cavs 2022 NBA Draft Notebook: Bryce McGowens Scouting Report. dark
He’s a player that could maybe be a first-rounder, but he’s another guy with variance in his draft projection it appears. If he is there, I’d be more than fine with the Cavaliers selecting LaRavia in the second round to help bolster their bench shooting/wing play. He’s also just set to turn 21 in November, so despite his considerable share of college play, age shouldn’t be a huge concern.