CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A few years ago, before a turbulent college career, Emoni Bates was playing inside packed gyms and being touted as the next big thing while drawing comparisons to a young Kevin Durant. He was the top basketball player in his age group by the time he reached the sixth grade.
But Bates failed to live up to the hype. Now he’s trying to prove he belongs in the NBA, that he’s worth a draft investment.
Is that gifted teenager who once oozed pure scoring ability still in there somewhere? It’s anyone’s guess. The Cavs should try to find out.
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With their first-round pick belonging to the Indiana Pacers as a result of last year’s Caris LeVert deal, Cleveland enters the 2023 NBA Draft next Thursday with just one selection -- No. 49 overall.
Second-round picks are a crapshoot. The Cavs had three of them last year. They chose two draft-and-stash prospects who will remain overseas -- Khalifa Diop and Luke Travers -- and Isaiah Mobley, the younger brother of franchise pillar Evan who spent his rookie season on a two-way contract and logged 58 total minutes with the Cavs.
Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, Draymond Green, Khris Middleton, Nikola Jokic and Manu Ginobili are past second-round gems unearthed by savvy franchises. But those players are exceptions. Last year’s 28-man second-round draft class featured just a pair of rotational mainstays -- Andrew Nembhard (No. 31 to the Pacers) and Jaylin Williams (No. 34 by Oklahoma City).
Given their current roster composition and the finicky nature of the draft, especially when it comes to second-rounders, the Cavs are positioned to roll the dice. They can gamble on upside.
Enter Bates -- one of the many players on the team’s pre-draft workout schedule.
A Michigan-area prep star and the first sophomore ever to win the Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year award, Bates de-committed from Michigan State, reclassified up a grade and enrolled at the University of Memphis alongside fellow top high school prospect and AAU buddy Jalen Duren. But Bates buckled under the weight of expectations. He averaged just 9.7 points in 23 minutes while onlookers grew concerned with his crummy body language. Then came a mysterious back injury that sidelined Bates for the final two months before he returned for two forgettable tournament games.
Wanting a fresh start, the 6-foot-9 score-first wing entered the transfer portal and chose to play his sophomore season close to home at Eastern Michigan. Only it was another rickety start.
Shortly before the season began, Bates was pulled over and arrested on felony gun charges. He was later sentenced to 18 months of probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge. If he finishes a clean probationary period, that charge will be expunged.
In a recent interview with NBA Insider Shams Charania, Bates said he made a poor decision by borrowing someone else’s car with someone else’s gun in it before running a stoplight on his way to a haircut.
Those bouts of immaturity will certainly be considered on draft night. It’s a topic that’s come up during pre-draft interviews. It’s been discussed since he declared for the draft. There are also questions about his play style, shot selection, decision-making, commitment to defense and a wiry 190-pound frame that makes it hard to envision him holding up defensively against other more seasoned wings as a rookie. Bates also lacks explosiveness and struggled to finish around the rim, which led to a 3-point-heavy shot profile.
Nonetheless, this is a second-round selection. How many of them are without flaws? How many are supposed to crack the rotation for a team with playoff aspirations?
A guy with Bates’ pedigree isn’t typically available in Round Two -- and he plays Cleveland’s weakest spot. With a dearth of wings, the Cavs must use every resource to address the problem. Bates has the size and length that wing-needy teams covet. His handle improved as a sophomore. He has deep range and a scorer’s mentality. He has spent the last year trying to repair his image.
Off-the-court issues aside, the shifty shot creator is worth a closer look -- if the background checks out. Especially with the 49th pick.
It’s an investment. It will take time. Anyone chosen at 49 will likely spend their rookie season with the G League affiliated Charge. That’s exactly where the 19-year-old Bates belongs -- away from the spotlight, in an environment where he can evolve and learn to become an efficient off-the-ball team player who impacts winning in a positive way.
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