Merriam Webster defines deja vu as "a feeling that one has seen or heard something before." This sensation may have been washing over fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers when the team drafted an Australian-born guard out of Duke University.
14 years ago, the Cavaliers were using the No. 1 overall pick on Kyrie Irving, a rope-on-a-string ball-handling maestro with elite touch. Thursday night, they were spending the No. 49 pick on Tyrese Proctor, a three-year starter at Duke University who brings size and shooting as a combo guard.
Kyrie Irving is an all-time Cavaliers player
Irving, of course, carved his place on the pantheon of all-time great Cavaliers players despite playing just six seasons in The Land. He won Rookie of the Year and flashed superstar potential at All-Star Weekend, then was an All-Star himself by his second season. He was an All-NBA player by Year 4, at which point LeBron James returned home and Irving went from Batman on bad teams to Robin on NBA Finals teams.
The most iconic shot in franchise history belongs to Irving. Seconds after "Blocked by James" in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, Irving hit the game-clinching shot to bring the Cavaliers their first NBA title.
Cavaliers fans would be forgiven for having mixed feelings about Irving, of course. Two seasons later he decided he wanted to once again be Batman and forced his way out of town, joining the rival Boston Celtics. An all-time Cavalier who brought a title to Cleveland but who also became a villain on his way out? That sums up the polarizing human being and basketball player that is Kyrie Irving.
Who is Tyrese Proctor?
Proctor joined the Duke Blue Devils as a young freshman out of Australia to be one of new head coach Jon Scheyer's first recruits. He was thought of as a potential lottery pick because of his size, handle and scoring potential.
Things did not start with a bang for Proctor; he was good, not great, in college and his shot started off ice cold. He elected to stay in college, taking part in a pair of great college basketball teams the last two seasons, including starting this year alongside Cooper Flagg.
In fact, Duke's entire starting lineup was drafted this year, including Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach and Sion James. Proctor was the fifth player to be taken, which was somewhat a surprise; most draft pundits expected him to go in the early second round, but he instead fell to 49th. One potential reason for that could have been an unwillingness to sign a two-way deal, perhaps knowing that the Cavaliers would sign him to a full contract if he waited long enough.
Proctor is 6'5" with a 6'7" wingspan. Over his three seasons at Duke it became clear that he doesn't have the chops to be the lead ball-handler and playmaker, at least not yet. He is a solid connective passer and can put pressure on the rim, but his NBA calling card may have shifted to being a strong off-ball shooter.
Cavaliers fans may remember George Hill, a strong defender and shooter who paired nicely with the on-ball playmaking and shot creation of LeBron James. That may be the ideal role for Proctor, and if the Cavs cannot bring back Ty Jerome or Sam Merrill he may get a chance to prove that as early as his rookie season.
Proctor is no Kyrie Irving; the similarities largely end after the Duke and Australia connections. Yet now the opportunity is before him to make his impact on the franchise, and for now, the sky is the limit.