The Pros And Cons Of The Cavs Drafting Emoni Bates
The Cleveland Cavaliers made the decision to take a prospect who may not be NBA-ready just yet but has a ton of potential. They selected Emoni Bates out of Eastern Michigan with the 49th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
This pick is a low-risk, high reward for an organization searching for answers at the small forward. However, being a late second-round pick also comes with a number of pros and cons as well.
Pros
- Raw Talent
If you told me two that the Cavs had drafted Emoni Bates in the 2023 Draft, I probably would've thought they won the lottery. Bates was a five-star recruit, the number one ranked prospect and was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2019. The raw talent is there. - Pure Scorer
One way to describe Bates' game is he's a pure scorer. He averaged 19.2 points per game at Eastern Michigan last season and even scored 29 straight points against the University of Toledo. he can create his own shot whether it's dribing to the basket or outside shooting. - Possible Answer At Small Forward
Cleveland had been looking for their small-forward over the future every since LeBron James left back in 2018. Lauri Markkanen locked up the position for a season, but was then used to acquire Donovan Mitchell. In a perfect world, Bates can develop into what the Cavs hope can be a part of the young core.
Cons
- Questions About Maturity
No prosepect is perfect and that inlcudes Bates. One concern that arose with some scouts was matrity. Justin Rose points to a scenario where Bates had to be scrated from a game because he wouldn't wear team-issued shoes. - Game May Not Translate To NBA
This is an obvious worry with every player in the draft but especially with Emoni. His freshman season Memphis was nothing to get overly excited about even as he was ranked so high out of high school. He averaged 9.8 points while shooting 36 percent from the floor. Not bad, but not what's expected from a five-star prospect.
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