3 winners on the Cavs roster from the 2022 NBA Draft

3 winners on the Cavs roster from the 2022 NBA Draft: Lamar Stevens

Lamar Stevens plays a very specific role on the Cavaliers. He is not a knockdown shooter, or a dribbling wizard, or an elite rim protector. Rather, Stevens is a do-it-all junkyard dog, a defender who will battle in the post or stick with faster players on the perimeter. Whether he is defending burly forwards or zippy guards, Stevens can do it all.

On the other hand, he is a very poor outside shooter, hitting just 27.7 percent of his limited attempts last season after just 16 percent as a rookie. He isn’t afraid to shoot, and his strength makes him a great finisher of plays, but if he is on the court he is not helping the team’s spacing in any way.

There is a place on the roster for such a player, but not two. That made the 2022 NBA Draft so nerve-wracking for Stevens and his spot on the roster. When the No. 39 pick rolled around, Ohio State’s E.J. Liddell was still on the board. Liddell’s floor is Lamar Stevens; his upside is Grant Williams or more. When the Cavs passed on him to take Khalifa Diop, they not only secured Stevens’ roster spot but gave him a major vote of confidence: they liked him more than Liddell.

That was the wrong decision according to my board; Liddell had a mid-first round grade. Yet it can only be seen as a positive for Stevens, who will look to improve his shooting in order to stick around on the Cavs or around the league for a long time to come.