We are entering the heart of the college basketball season and there are so many rising stars that are drawing NBA interest as we speak and could be in the spotlight come the next NBA Draft later this summer of 2023. The Cleveland Cavaliers don’t have a first-round pick at the moment, but they do have a second-round pick and that pick is where we will look to see what college star might be on the Cavs radar.
There are several positions on the team that could be bolstered. While Cleveland has a great All-Star backcourt in Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, the team might look to strengthen this part of the team with a guard. The bigger talk of Cavaliers fans these days though is trying to find a player that is a talented shooter and can help the team on offense. The Cavs frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen is a solid duo but maybe their team tries to find a player in the upcoming draft that could be a good player that could come off the bench in their place next season.
Here are several candidates at the college level to keep an eye on as they could be playing for the Wine and Gold next season.
Prospect No. 1: Ricky Council IV, Arkansas, SF/SG
The guard from Arkansas is averaging almost 17 points a game this season to go with three rebounds and 2.5 assists. He stands at 6’6” and could move from a guard to a forward in the NBA. He began his college career at Wichita State but transferred this season to the Razorbacks.
This season he’s had five games of scoring more than 20 points. His shooting percentage is a solid 46 % this season. His three-point shooting is only at 38% as he’s gone 21-of-75 so far so that will need to improve as he enters the NBA.
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.
Prospect No. 4: Arthur Kaluma, Creighton, SF
He’s 6’7” and can knock down the three-pointer. He’s only a sophomore and has a lot to learn but his upside is being noticed by many NBA scouts. This season he’s averaging 12.4 points and about six rebounds a game. He may not be a first-round pick, but he could be there for the Cavs for the taking in the second round.
He’s still learning the game, but Kaluma’s had a nice season so far at Creighton. He’s made 22 three-pointers so far and shooting a decent 31%. He’s already scored in double figures 14 times this season, and has collected 123 rebounds too. Recently he’s pulled down 27 rebounds in a combined two games when Creighton played Seton Hall and then Connecticut.
The fact that is kind of a tweener and could play both at the guard or forward position and is game is improving with each dribble he could be a quality fit for Cleveland.
Prospect No. 5: Reece Beekman, Virginia, PG
Beekman of the Virginia Cavaliers could be a nice backup guard for a new Cavalier team in the NBA. He’s in his junior season at Virginia and having a nice season so far. He’s known for his defense and instinctive abilities on the offensive side of the ball as well.
Right now he’s averaging just under 10 points a game and dishing out five assists a game. That assist average has been on the move up too as the season has rolled on. He’s had 11 games already with five assists or more, including a 10-assist game against Baylor this season.
As for his three-point shooting, he has put up too many, but he’s been pretty consistent to get up three or more a game. He has a nice 47% average on those shots too.
Selecting a player like Beekman, could really be a nice pick by Cavs in the upcoming NBA Draft because he could learn a lot with new teammates such as Garland and Mitchell and be a good bench player when he starts his career in an NBA Cavalier uniform.