3 reasons why Cavs should pick TyTy Washington Jr. in 2022 NBA Draft

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TyTy Washington, Kentucky Wildcats. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) /

With the 2022 NBA Draft on Thursday, Koby Altman, Mike Gansey and the front office for the Cleveland Cavaliers will have a lot of questions on their hands. Sometimes, it seems like the Cavs had their sights set on Malaki Branham. Other times, it seems like Ochai Agbaji. Now, a rumor about Ousmane Dieng and a potential promise from Cleveland has been discussed, if he makes it to #14. But, a prospect I think that is getting slept on is TyTy Washington Jr. out of Kentucky.

Do I think Cleveland will draft him? Probably not, but you never know. I’m not going to lie, he’s been the main guy I’ve wanted Cleveland to draft in the first round for a while now, and for good reason. I really like his game, and think he could really help the Cavs.

In 31 games this season, he averaged 12.5 points and 3.9 assists, also winning a spot on both the SEC All-Freshman team and the All-SEC team, a very solid feat by a first-year college player. According to ESPN, Washington was the 14th-ranked recruit in the 2021 high school class, ahead of names such as AJ Griffin and Malaki Branham.

Here are three reasons why I believe Washington should be the Cavs’ pick in the draft, when it comes to #14 overall.

Reason #1: Playmaking

Like I have said before, our only real point guard on the roster as of now is Darius Garland, who cannot play all 48 minutes. Rajon Rondo looks close to retirement, and Brandon Goodwin is a solid backup, even on a two-way deal at the time, but if the Cavs want to be contenders, this needs to be upgraded. Maybe Ricky Rubio does return to the Cavaliers, but after a significant injury, maybe he won’t be as productive as his former self, and may very well not be ready to start the season straight away it seems.

According to NCAA.com, Washington had the 32nd-best assist-to-turnover ratio in all of college basketball, at a solid 2.35. 32nd may not sound the best, but considering that there 350 players in this statistic that were deemed to be qualifying, it is pretty good. His assist-to-turnover ratio was better than players such as Jaden Ivey, Paolo Banchero, and JD Davison. He only had 120 assists, but that was solid, especially for a freshman.

While the Cavs ranked 11th in assists per game for an NBA team, which is good, their turnovers ranked 22nd overall in the league, which definitely can be improved. Like I mentioned, Washington’s assist-to-turnover ratio was good for a college player, so he could definitely help out the Cavs on that end.

Washington is more than capable in pick-and-roll, has impressive vision and can looks to shooters in a timely manner in their spots. He’d be a backup lead guard boost.