The Cleveland Cavaliers are not in control of their own draft destiny. They can neither predict nor control which prospects go to which teams in the 2022 NBA Draft, although they will certainly try to do the former and perhaps think they can somehow influence the latter. In the end, they can only choose a player who is not selected before them in the draft.
Predicting what the Cavs will do is therefore an incredibly difficult proposition. Industry experts attempt to do so with mock drafts, and Monday we looked at some of the players being mocked to the Cavs. Let’s pivot away from what the Cavs may do and instead dream about what they would like to do.
The Cavs can’t predict the 2022 NBA Draft, but they can dream. What would a realistic best-case scenario be for all three picks?
What would a perfect Cavaliers draft look like? We’re not talking NBA2K Franchise Mode with forced trades turned on; the Cavs can’t trade Cedi Osman and get back Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the No. 2 pick, or get Jabari Smith Jr. at pick 14 and Jaden Ivey at pick 39. But what would a realistic best-case scenario look like if each team ahead of them made certain decisions and let the Cavs’ targets drop to them?
In the interest of simplicity, we will remove trades from the equation for now and just focus on the Cavs’ current three picks. Which players would be perfect for the Cavs if they fall to them? We’ll include another prospect as something of a “pipe dream” where there is a very slim possibility they could fall to the Cavs but it’s not absolutely insane; Moses Moody dropping all the way to the Warriors at 14 in last year’s draft, for example.
We’ll start at 14, where the Cavs’ best-case scenario is actually one that a few different analysts have started to connect with Cleveland.
Building the perfect Cavs draft: Best-case scenario at 14
This pairing is the most realistic, to the point that multiple mainstream mock drafts have made the connection. The question for the Cavs has always been whether Johnny Davis even had a chance to be available at 14, but recent chatter has suggested he could slip a bit into the late lottery.
If he does, Johnny Davis is perfect for the Cavs. They need a secondary shot creator who can hold up on defense; I could copy and paste a one-line summary of Davis here and it would read “excellent secondary shot creator who can hold up on defense”. The marriage makes too much sense.
The concerns with Davis stem from his incredibly inefficient second half to the season; those are real concerns, ones that will be a factor if he drops on draft night, but they can also be reasonably addressed by injury and the abysmal spacing around him at Wisconsin. Those concerns shouldn’t be ignored, but they shouldn’t stop the Cavs from taking a player who can instantly meet one of their biggest needs.
Pipe-dream scenario: Bennedict Mathurin, Wing, Arizona – The breakout star for the Arizona Wildcats and All-American wing has seemingly been a lock for the Top 10 for the entirety of the post-NCAA Tournament period, but the reality is that a lot of players are being talked about as potential Top-10 picks; 16 players at least have a chance to make the leap. In that scenario someone has to be pushed down, and there is the slimmest of possibilities that Mathurin is that player. If he is, his combination of shooting, defense and budding playmaking would make him an incredible fit.
Building the perfect Cavs draft: Best-case scenario at 39
Making a “best-case scenario” selection for Pick No. 39 is both easier and harder than it should be. On the one hand, the tier of players from 20 to 45 is nearly flat; they could go in almost any order, which means a player ranked highly by the Cavs could easily drop into the second round. That being said, it also means there isn’t a lot of differentiation from which to pluck out a diamond in the rough.
What the Cavs need to fill out their bench with are players who can play on the wing, hit outside shots and hold up on defense; obviously secondary skills (playmaking, ball-handling) or being elite at shooting or defense are nice too, but at 39 those kinds of players aren’t likely to just be languishing on the vine.
If the draft board falls in a reasonable way, Christian Braun out of Kansas may be there when the Cavs come up, and he would be an excellent addition to their bench. Braun is 6’7″ and has a great motor and would fire up the defense while on the court. Offensively he has a good outside shot but will be a dependent player; he doesn’t bring much self-creation to the table. The Cavs would be quite happy if he is on the board at 39.
Pipe-dream scenario: Dalen Terry, Wing, Arizona Wildcats – Jalen Williams was the bell of the ball at the NBA Draft Combine, and Ousmane Dieng appears to be the prospect making a push up draft board in this the penultimate week before the draft. Yet nestled between the two was a couple of weeks where Dalen Terry was the trendy name, and it’s most likely he lands in the late first round.
Yet before that surge in popularity, he was firmly in the second-round mix, and he would be a great addition for the Cavs. His size and ball-handling would be excellent additions and allow Garland to play off-ball as he loves to do at times. Terry the actual player is probably more raw that his fans would admit, but he could grow into an excellent rotation fit on this team.
Building the perfect Cavs draft: Best-case scenario at 56
No team should expect to get much of anything out of a late second-round pick; if they do strike gold, or even bronze, that’s great, but it’s a longshot. Players who believe strongly in themselves will often avoid being drafted late so they can choose their own destiny as an undrafted free agent.
That doesn’t make it impossible, though, and if the Cavs do end up taking a player at 56 then Andrew Nembhard would be a great pick, assuming he is available. Nembhard has been getting some buzz after a strong NBA Draft Combine, so it’s likely he goes higher than this…but you could say that for 75 prospects, and someone has to be available at 56.
Nembhard is a steady hand at point guard, a true “floor general” type of player with decent size at 6’4″. He competes on defense and has a solid jumper, but a lack of athleticism or scoring burst mean he will really struggle to finish against any sort of contest. He’s the definition of a long-term backup, and the Cavs would love to take a player here they can slot in as their third point guard.
Pipe-dream scenario: Wendell Moore, Wing, Duke – The second round is a mess. Wendell Moore probably won’t fall; in fact it seems insane to think he will. Yet there are absolutely teams that have 55 players ranked higher than him, and if no one is in love with Moore it’s at least theoretically possible he is there at 56. If he is the Cavs should pounce; they need playable wings and Moore brings a lot to the table, even if he doesn’t do one thing at an elite level.
Adding Johnny Davis, Christian Braun and Andrew Nembhard to the team gives them young, inexpensive boosts to their rotation. Davis addresses their need for a secondary shot creator and gives them insurance in case Collin Sexton leaves, and he could be their long-term starter at the 2. Add in a solid backup 3 and a low-cost backup point guard and the Cavs would be cooking with gas coming out of the 2022 NBA Draft.