Luke Travers could be a gem for the Cavs down the road

When the Cleveland Cavaliers selected wing/forward Luke Travers near the end of the 2022 NBA Draft at #56 overall, it was apparent that’d likely end up being a draft-and-stash selection.

Cleveland had seemed to be a draft-and-stash prospect selection with their first second-round pick in Khalifa Diop from Senegal at #39, who will continue to play overseas. He played with Gran Canaria of Liga ACB in Spain, and could maybe be a rotational big eventually. Granted, it’s tough to forecast that right now.

From there, after acquiring the #49 pick via trade from the Sacramento Kings, the Cavaliers selected big Isaiah Mobley, who is one of Cleveland’s two-way players for next season. Mobley flashed some perimeter shooting upside at USC, and there’s some secondary playmaking abilities from him that could enable him to have a role with the Cavaliers in coming years, perhaps.

Circling back to the aforementioned Travers, though, I do think he might be a possible steal for the Wine and Gold, in due time.

It’s difficult to suggest when he might be with the Cavs at this point, but down the road, Travers could be a real gem.

To many Cavaliers fans, Travers probably was not a name for the Wine and Gold that was on their radar during the time leading up to the 2022 NBA Draft. As a side note, even with the team feasibly set to use maybe one pick on a draft-and-stash, the Cavaliers using all four of the selections was still somewhat surprising.

So, what might Cleveland have been seeing in Travers then? First, we’ll touch on a bit of background involving the Australian, who reportedly worked out for Cleveland in the pre-draft process.

He was on the Perth Wildcats of the NBL in Australia the past three seasons, and last year, was in a more prominent role, having 7.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 22.0 minutes per game in 27 appearances, with six starts. The previous season, he had 4.9 points and 3.2 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per outing, but did register 20 starts.

Regarding the potential ways he could help the Cavaliers, perhaps in one or two seasons, I think he could provide Cleveland with playable depth, and maybe at some point, we could see Travers fill in for stretches as a forward who could help in multiple ways. He’ll need to make strides in the catch-and-shoot game, as he connected on only 29.4 percent and then 25.0 percent of his three-point attempts the past two seasons with Perth, in fairness.

That being said, Travers can be a situational driver for Cleveland, if he receives opportunities in say a couple of years, he’s a crafty finisher on some runners and he’s a very athletic player that can finish well inside.

And, to the previous point, involving playmaking potential, Travers has some impressive vision, and although looking onward, he’ll need to work on cutting down turnovers, if he can take further strides in on-ball play, maybe he could be a notable secondary playmaker in stretches for Cleveland in a few years.

Also, his 6-foot-7 size could help, and with him demonstrating he can make plays as a helper defensively with his length, timing and anticipation, he could be a solid defensive piece if/when he plays with the Cavs. Travers had a robust block rate of 2.8 percent last season in NBL play with Perth, along with a steal rate of 2.0 percent.

While it was only in Las Vegas Summer League play, so one has to take things with a grain of salt, we did see some of Travers’ passing instincts, transition feel and defensive playmaking in those contests, too.

Time will tell, but down the road, Cleveland could have a gem in Travers. And if there’s tangible shooting growth, with his playmaking feel and athleticism vertically, with the size involved as well, he could potentially turn into a gem in the near future for the Wine and Gold.

We’ll have to see as to if the chances come with the Cavaliers, but he could end up being a quality late-second round contributor in time. For now at least, the fairly soon-to-be 21-year-old and his mullet can still, technically, count for being an addition to a Cavs team that has the best hair in basketball.