College hoops are in full swing as tournament play is just around the corner. Many collegiate prospects will be looking to move onto the NBA at the conclusion of their seasons. The big power conferences like the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, and ACC all have some excellent players that NBA teams are watching closely in hopes of adding to their teams come the NBA Draft, slated for June 22, 2023.
That’s still four months away but it’s never too early to start scouting these players. That’s no different for our Cleveland Cavaliers, who have done well in recent drafts to get the team they have today. Unlike the Big 10 prospects the Cavaliers should target, the ACC prospect list is more balanced and less dependent on drafting a forward.
Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Isaac Okoro were all drafted by the Wine and Gold over the past few seasons. Cleveland has a second-round pick, so the player they select may not be a top-20 player, but they’ll be good. The Cavs could also look to package that and future seconds, perhaps, to move up into that top 20 or 30.
Today, let’s look at the ACC conference and five talented players that would look great in the Cavs uniform.
ACC prospect No. 1: Kyle Filipowski, PF Duke
If you’re looking for a player standing at 7 feet who can play inside and outside and can nail the three-pointer to join Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen look no further, than Kyle Filipowski from Duke. The freshman Blue Devil has been playing well and when you watch him play, he reminds you a bit of a former big man of the Cavs in Lauri Markkanen.
Cleveland needs some help with that second group of players that come off the bench, especially a player or two that can give Mobley and Allen a breather. Filipowski could definitely be a welcomed addition to the Wine and Gold. He’s being projected in going from the late first-round to the mid-second round by various mock NBA draft boards.
He’s played 25 games so far this season and is nearly averaging a double-double where he’s gone for 15 points and nine rebounds a game. He most recently went for 22 points in a big win against Notre Dame. In a game against Virginia Tech, he went for a season-high 29 points.
He’s been working on his outside game too but his percentage of 29% on three-point shots isn’t great yet but you can see he will improve. Cleveland has had some past busts in the area, but Filipowski looks as far from a draft bust as you’ll come.
ACC prospect No.2 Judah Mintz, G, Syracuse
Cleveland has two of the best guards in the NBA with Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. They even have a great veteran in Ricky Rubio coming off the bench right now. We don’t know yet what the Cavaliers will do with their backcourt bench next season, but getting a player like Judah Mintz out of Syracuse might be a good move by the Wine and Gold.
Like many of these prospects, he’s only a freshman but is averaging 15 points and almost five assists a game. In an upset win this past week against NC State, Mintz went for 20 points and nine assists.
He’s rising to the moment and that’s always a positive when you are trying to project how well these players will project as future NBA stars. Outside of four games this season, he’s scored in double figures. He’s an excellent defender as well and Cleveland needs more players that can play defense.
Cleveland could definitely use some depth on the bench going into next season. While Rubio has been a solid veteran presence, getting some new young talent onto the squad would be a real positive. Mintz seems like a great 2023 NBA Draft pickup if he were still there on the big board for the Cavs to grab.
ACC prospect No. 3: Terquavion Smith, G, NC State
Terquavion Smith has been described as “instant offense”. Cleveland has a pretty good offense already but if the team wants to really give its team a bigger boost, the NC State product would be a great move by the Wine and Gold.
The Wolfpack star might not make it beyond the first round, so if the Cavs had a strong interest, they’d likely have to make a move up in the draft. This season Smith is averaging more than 18 points a game along with five assists. He’s shooting almost nine three-pointers a game and hitting them at a 34% clip which is decent and that will likely keep improving when he’s a pro.
In one of his better games this season, he went for 32 points against Florida State. In that game, he went six-for-10 from beyond the arc but also went to the line nine teams which means he was taking the ball to the hole.
Cleveland certainly needs more playmakers and Smith would be a welcomed addition to the Cavaliers team if they were to try and draft him.
ACC prospect No. 4: Matthew Cleveland, G, SF, Florida State
Another one of these guard/forward college prospects that is improving with every dribble and has a bright future ahead is Matthew Cleveland out of Florida State. He’s considered a guard but at 6’7,” he can play inside and outside and is improving on that outside three-point shot. He’s got his percentage up to almost 40 % in this his sophomore season.
He’s been solid scoring the ball this season, averaging over 14 points while rebounding at a nice clip too with almost eight a game. He’s had five double-double games and a career-high 16 rebounds in a win against Notre Dame back in January.
ACC prospect No. 5: Reece Beekman, G, Virginia
We’re sticking with another guard in Reece Beekman out of Virginia. He may not be your flashy guard that puts up a ton of buckets, but he has a good all-around game and defense is the name of his game. Cleveland has a good defense but at times they lack the effort and energy, and Beekman would be a nice pickup by the Cavs to help in that area.
He’s averaging 10 points a game this season to go with five assists. He’s also recorded 31 steals so far this year, and in the last two games, he’s recorded three steals in each. Last season, Beekman had 73 steals in all.
If the Cavs are wanting a true point guard, who can focus on distributing the ball on offense while playing lockdown defense, than Beekman could be a great pickup for Cleveland.
He’s projected to go in the second round, with variance there, so listen for his name as a new Cavalier.