5 prospects that should be on Cavs’ 2023 NBA Draft radar
By John Suchan
Prospect No. 2: Coleman Hawkins, Illinois, PF
The Cavs could look to build their bench by selecting this 6’10” forward from Illinois in the 2023 NBA Draft. Coleman Hawkins has been improving in his three seasons with the Fighting Illini. This season he’s been a regular starter and been improving on his shooting from the outside. For a big man he’s had a good season shooting the three ball.
Currently, he’s gone 26-for-83 for a decent 31 % average. His shot around the rim has improved this campaign as well, as he’s gone 47-for-81 for a 58% average. This season he’s averaging just under 10 points and pulling down six boards a game. He’s also dishing out 3.4 assists a game.
Hawkins is considered a strong defender as well and that’s something the Cavs need to keep trying to improve on. This season he’s grabbed 123 rebounds and had 19 steals. He’s a work in progress but his upside is there, and the Cavaliers could definitely show some interest in this big man.
Prospect No. 3: Colby Jones, Xavier, SF/SG
Colby Jones is a guard out of Xavier that is racing up draft boards as we speak. He’s a 6’5”player that has the ability to get his shot when he needs to but has the experience to get his teammates involved. He’s bumped his scoring average up to 14.6 at the moment to go along with five assists and rebounds a game.
His shooting percentage has climbed to 50 % on the season. He’s currently gone 28-for-66 on his three pointers for a good 42 %. He’s also been very consistent with dishing out assists per game. He’s already had 11 games of five assists or more.
Projections of where Jones gets drafted have varied. He’s been drafted as high as the middle of the first round and fallen back to the middle of the second round so we’ll see where he lands. If the Cavs want a solid player that would seem to play well behind Garland and Mitchell, they should begin with this pick; it could be a slam dunk pick for the Cavs, too.