2018 NBA Mock Draft: Mohamed Bamba could be the Suns’ last building block
F. Ohio State. Keita Bates-Diop. 24. player. 156.
This pick could actually belong to any number of teams, including Sacramento, Los Angeles, Charlotte or Portland. No one has any clue outside of the team itself. That being said, we’re going to operate as if the Cavaliers take a player who fits their current style and roster, because it’s easier that way.
LeBron James wants to play with versatile scorers. It’s been that way since he started playing his current style, shortly before he joined the Miami Heat in 2010. He has cycled through everyone from Rashard Lewis to Richard Jefferson in a search for the best version of that kind of player. There is shockingly no one like that currently on Cleveland’s roster (Jeff Green does not count).
That’s where Bates-Diop comes in.
The man is built to play with James. He can flip between either forward position on both sides of the court, space the floor and make smart plays. He is athletic enough to play up-tempo, and compared to most college prospects old enough to perhaps make an impact early in his career.
Cleveland is in a catch-22 right now, but they could be looking toward the future at promising players like Bates-Diop.