In just over a week the NBA Draft will take place at Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York. This year 58 young men will hear their names called on draft night, which is two less than normal after Miami and Chicago forfeited their second-round picks. As things stand the Cleveland Cavaliers have three of those 58 picks, including No. 14 to close out the lottery.
As the days fly by and the night of the draft gets closer, we’re starting to get a decent look at what the lottery portion of the draft will look like. The first three names called on the 23rd will almost certainly be Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren, and Paolo Banchero, in no specific order. Following those three, it’s widely believed that Jaden Ivey, Keegan Murray, and Shaedon Sharpe will be the next three drafted, also in no specific order. However, following those six, the talent pool takes a dive and we still don’t know how the final eight picks of the lottery will play out.
In the Ringer’s most recent mock draft, Kevin O’Connor has guard Johnny Davis slipping to the Cavaliers and the 14th pick. This shows that Davis’ stock is falling as the draft gets closer, considering multiple sites had him being drafted much higher right after March Madness. In USA Today’s first 2022 mock draft, they had the Kings taking Davis with the seventh pick (pre-lottery selection). Now at least two different sites have Davis falling to 14 and the Cavs.
With that being said, this should be viewed as a major positive for the Cavalier organization. It could even change their off-season plans drastically, as O’Connor does say that the Cavs’ plans for Collin Sexton might change if the former Wisconsin Badger is available at 14. Davis is a young shot-creating guard, who has a great mid-range game and has the chance to be an All-NBA defender. If he were to slip to the Cavaliers, they would be very wise to select the former Badger.
Davis allows the Cavs to stay big and bring Sexton off the bench
One of the most surprising things about the beginning of the 2021-2022 NBA season was the Cavalier’s “big” lineup. After Collin Sexton went down with a knee injury, the Cavs had three near 7-footers in their starting line-up in Lauri Markkanen, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. Mobley and Allen locked down the paint on the defensive end, and Markkanen was a great shooter from deep at times last year. We all saw how well Darius Garland performed using this lineup, putting in his first All-Star season. However, the biggest issue for the Cavaliers when using this lineup was who would start next to Garland in the back-court.
At first, it was Sexton for 11 games before he missed the season with a knee injury. After that, the Cavs used Isaac Okoro at the shooting guard position for most of the year. Unfortunately, Okoro’s game just hasn’t really taken off, and to some, it doesn’t look like he’ll ever be more than a solid defender who’s good in the open floor. Instead of inserting Sexton back into the starting lineup next year, Davis might be the perfect prospect to position next to Garland.
On the offensive end, the Cavaliers desperately needed scoring and shot-creation at the end of the season last year. Davis would easily upgrade the offense with his mid-range game and ability to use his body to get separation. Despite not having the quickest first step, his offensive arsenal off the bounce is impressive. On top of that, Davis is one of the better play-makers in this draft. He doesn’t necessarily have the control that some lead guards do, but he’s a great passer and has great vision when attacking a defender. He’s already a polished finisher with either hand and shoots nearly 80% from the charity stripe.
If the Cavs were to draft Davis, it would allow them to really think about what they want to do with Collin Sexton. Sexton is a great scorer, but he has a very high usage rate and doesn’t have the best passing numbers. However, there’s no doubt he can score, and after missing most of the season, his shooting is said to have improved. In my opinion, Collin Sexton would be the perfect sixth man, providing instant offense. At times Sexton can do most of the ball-handling, but whoever the Cavaliers bring in this summer to play point guard for the second unit can also look to find Sexton on the break. At the least, drafting Davis would give the Cavs a couple of other options when it comes to the former Alabama man.
Davis’ offensive arsenal is built for the NBA, and he’s a creative scorer. Standing at 6’5″ he’s an explosive player that also plays under control. One of Davis’ favorite spots on the court is in the post. Multiple times over the course of the season, Davis took a smaller guard into the post and scored. He loves to use his footwork and creativity in the post. However, the most intriguing part of Davis’ game is his lock-down defense. Not only could he give the Cavaliers help on offense, but he should be able to defend most opposing team’s best guards.
Davis can be a top-tier defender and make Sexton expendable
I can’t know for sure, but I’d assume one of the first things Cavalier head coach J.B. Bickerstaff looks for in a prospect is how willing he is to play defense. Not only is Johnny Davis willing to play defense, but he has a chance to be a very good defender early on in his career. You can tell by watching him that he takes pride on the defensive end of the court.
He will need to add some bulk to his lean frame, but he also has long arms that help him get into passing lanes, and disrupt ball-handlers. With as much effort he puts into his offense, his willingness to put it all on the line on the defensive end is something that sets him apart from a lot of the other players will be drafted around him.
However, maybe the most fascinating aspect of the Cavaliers drafting Davis is that it would make both Caris LeVert and Collin Sexton expendable. Sexton and LeVert are two very similar players, so it’s hard to imagine the Cavs want to retain both of them. However, with the reports saying the Cavaliers “definitely” want to re-sign Sexton, a Davis selection would feasibly make LeVert expendable. Personally, I would hang on to LeVert considering his trade value would be higher, and he has the size edge on Sexton. However, while both are good players, one can definitely be used as an asset to help the Cavaliers this upcoming season.
I still have my doubts that Davis will slip to the 14th pick. Honestly, I think his outlook on the defensive end is similar to that of Dyson Daniels, who’s projected to go in the top-8 on most mock drafts. On top of that, Davis has a better shooting form, and much more offensive potential than Daniels at this point in their careers. I’m skeptical that Davis will be available, but stranger things have happened on draft night.