Most of the rankings and Big Boards you see for the 2022 NBA Draft will be compiled with no particular team in mind. They are helpful in the abstract, to try and rank players according to their actual value and determine their median value to all 30 teams, but in reality they are functionally useless to any one team. The Cavs can’t draft off of a generic big board.
Each team has to make a ranking for their own team, taking into account the context of the players on their roster. Rebuilding teams should lean into a more generic board in determining the best players available, but they can’t ignore the players on their team in doing so. Contending teams do something similar, as they don’t necessarily have holes to fill in the draft but instead are drafting for talent.
Each team has to craft its own team-specific NBA Draft Board. How would the Cavs rank the first 14 players according to their team needs?
A team in the middle and trying to improve will weigh their team’s needs the most, and therefore their personal draft rankings will be the most adjusted. The Philadelphia 76ers need wings more than a center because they have Joel Embiid on the roster; the LA Clippers have plenty of wings but could use another option at point guard or center.
The Cavs pick 14th in next Thursday’s draft, so they need to have at least 14 players ranked out to know who they want to take at that pick. In reality they will rank a hundred or more players, to be prepared for making selections in the second round and in signing undrafted free agents.
Who are those initial 14? How different will the Cavs’ board look from that of other teams? It’s important to rank even those players with no chance of falling to No. 14; if the Cavs get the chance to move up in the draft they need to be prepared.
Enough premable. Let’s dive in!
Cavs’ NBA Draft Big Board: Top 5
1. Jabari Smith, Forward, Auburn
2. Paolo Banchero, Forward, Duke
3. Chet Holmgren, Center, Gonzaga
Generally, teams shouldn’t draft for need at the very top of the draft but instead should just take the best player available. The exception is when a team has a no-doubt star at a position and the two players couldn’t possibly coexist. That comes into play here, where the talent of these three bigs still elevates them to the top, but the players who could more easily play alongside another big (or two, knowing the Cavs) rise about Chet Holmgren.
Jabari Smith could presumably be a better version of what Lauri Markkanen brought last season, a stretch-big with the size to switch easily with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Paolo Banchero would give them secondary shot creation and passing playing off of Darius Garland. Holmgren would be a tough sell to survive next to both Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, but his upside is so high the Cavs would try to figure it out.
4. Jaden Ivey, Guard, Purdue
5. Dyson Daniels, Guard, G-League Ignite
Jaden Ivey deserves the fourth slot for any team except perhaps the Golden State Warriors, as his shot creation and athleticism leaps off the page and would be a shot in the arm for any offense. He has enough size at 6’4″ to conceivably play alongside Garland. If Jabari Smith is the better Markkanen, then Ivey is the better Collin Sexton.
Dyson Daniels comes next as perhaps a perfect fit next to Garland in the backcourt. He is 6’6″ with a super long wingspan but still possesses the lateral quickness to defend both guard positions. He could be Garland’s backup and still start at the 2, and his playmaking would be a welcome boon to their offense.
Cavs’ NBA Draft Big Board: No. 6-8
6. Bennedict Mathurin, Wing, Arizona
7. Keegan Murray, Forward, Iowa
8. Shaedon Sharpe, Wing, Kentucky
The NBA most needs wings, and the Cavs are perhaps the best team without a locked-in long-term starter at the 2 or the 3; their options such as Collin Sexton and Caris LeVert are nightmares defensively, and Lauri Markkanen can’t stay in front of faster players. To reach their ceiling the Cavs need to find a way to upgrade one of those positions at the very least.
Enter two options in Bennedict Mathurin and Shaedon Sharpe. Mathurin could be the answer toggling between the two positions, bombing from outside and playing steady defense. He may not become a true on-ball creator but he can certainly attack mismatches or handle in transition. The Cavs have their stars, so getting a ceiling-raising role player is very much int he cards for them.
Sharpe is a much more complicated player to evaluate. His ceiling is as high as anyone’s in this draft, with excellent shooting feel and all the tools to be a two-way monster. He also hasn’t played against top-level competition, has an infrequent motor and has been underwhelming in private workouts. He offers great reward but at great risk as well.
Keegan Murray slots in between the two. He is best suited as a 4, but his shooting and scoring could allow the Cavs to survive putting him at the 3, at least to start. He can score from anywhere on the court and would be the ying to Evan Mobley’s yang, a pair of excellent two-way players with Murray better at scoring and Mobley better at rim protection.
Cavs’ NBA Draft Big Board: No. 9-11
9. Johnny Davis, Guard, Wisconsin
10. A.J. Griffin, Wing/Forward, Duke
11. Tari Eason, Forward, LSU
We have discussed in multiple places this week why Johnny Davis would be an excellent fit for the Cavs, so we won’t belabor the point here. Although there are legitimate concerns about his perimeter shooting and inefficiency, his defense and ball-handling give him a high floor and he meets too many of the Cavs’ needs to let him drop further.
A.J. Griffin is another interesting prospect to evaluate. He was an absolute sniper from 3-point range, hitting 48.3 percent of his 3-pointers this past season at Duke. What else is he? He could just be a Duncan Robinson-like bomber with slightly better ball skills; an incredibly valuable player but not one you want to use a Top 10 pick on. He could also be a two-way force who can be a team’s tertiary creator as well; that player is worth a Top-5 pick. The Cavs need shooting in a big way, and Griffin would at least bring that.
Tari Eason is one of my favorite prospects in the draft, a player whose defensive impact leaps off the page. Eason is relentless, defending all 5 positions and racking up such a number of steals and blocks that analytical models love him. Offensively he can draw fouls and finish at the rim, but his shot is a bit of a question after one great season (preceded by an ice-cold season). He would likely back up Evan Mobley but could potentially start at the 3 if his shot comes around.
Cavs’ NBA Draft Big Board: No. 12-14
12. E.J. Liddell, Forward, Ohio State
13. Jalen Williams, Wing, Santa Clara
14. TyTy Washington, Guard, Kentucky
Most teams will have one or two more centers in their Top 14, with Memphis’ Jalen Duren and Duke’s Mark Williams expected to go in the first half of the first round. That’s not a need for the Cavs; they could add a third center in the second round if they want to replace Moses Brown, but they aren’t burning a lottery pick on one.
It’s almost certain, therefore, that the Cavs will have the opportunity to pick between multiple players in their Top 14. These three players are all different, but they represent a desire to add size to this team’s perimeter. E.J. Liddell is somehow vastly underrated by the draft community despite his insane basketball intelligence and a size/strength combo that will allow him to defend a number of possessions. He would be an awesome fit as the starting 3, even if he doesn’t boast overwhelming upside.
Jalen Williams is a very different option to play the 3, a secondary ball-handler who projects as Caris LeVert except with a reliable shot and defensive impact. 14 seems a bit high to draft him but he fits wonderfully. Finally, TyTy Washington has good size as a point guard and has that Kentucky boost waiting for him when he gets to the league.
Next 5: Malaki Branham, Wing, Ohio State; Ochai Agbaji, Wing, Kansas; Jeremy Sochan, Forward, Baylor; Jaden Hardy, Guard, G-League Ignite; Ousmane Dieng, Wing, Breakers
No bigs here, as even if the Cavs trade back a bit they need to be targeting wings and secondary shot creators. Jeremy Sochan is the key player who is lower on the Cavs’ board than others, but his lack of a jumper and overlap with Evan Mobley makes it a tough fit in the Top 14, although he will likely be gone even before the Cavs pick.