Emoni Bates Proving To Be The Right Pick For Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers got accustomed to surveying the top talent in the last few NBA Drafts. As a rebuilding team, they had constantly had top 10 picks which allowed them to take the likes of Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro, and Evan Mobley early on.
However, after unloading a number of their future picks in the Donovan Mitchell trade, 2023 was the first time in what feels like forever Cleveland didn't have a first-round selection.
The sole pick the Cavs had in the draft was in the second round at 49. It's incredibly rare that teams can find NBA-ready talent or the future of their organization that late in the night. However, Cleveland may have struck gold with their pick.
The Cavs went with a low-risk, high-reward selection and took a former five-star recruit in Emoni Bates out of Eastern Michigan with their pick.
There were some questions surrounding Bates heading into the draft, but it was impossible for Cleveland to pass up on his raw talent. Especially when they are in need of a true wing.
Bates has done nothing but impress and has only gotten better with each Summer League game he's played in.
Emoni is currently averaging 16.3 points while shooting 41 percent from the floor. He's also knocking down 38 percent of his threes too. It's been remarkable to see how well Bates can create his own shot against NBA talent.
Bates is clearly a natural scorer, but he said before Summer League started that his main focus is to improve on the defensive end. He's taken that to heart and is currently leading the team with 1.3 steals and is second in blocks through their first three games.
There's still a lot of development to go before Bates is ready to contribute with the Cavs, but he's already showing the organization that they made the right designation to take him in the draft.
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