3 prospects the Cavaliers have to avoid in the NBA Draft

The Cavaliers hold the third pick in a three-player NBA Draft. They should keep things simple and avoid talking themselves into these prospects.

For most of the past few months, the 2021 NBA Draft looked to have just two players in the top tier — Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley. Recent buzz around Jalen Green seems to have pushed him into that tier and it seems likely the Cavs will end up with either Mobley or Green, depending on what the Rockets do at No. 2.

However, there’s always the potential to outsmart yourself when it comes to the draft and with myriad trade possibilities on the table, including with Collin Sexton, there’s a chance the Cavaliers end up moving back. Regardless of where they pick, these are the prospects they should be leery of.

3. The Cavaliers should be wary of Scottie Barnes in the NBA Draft

Barnes is a very intriguing prospect and one who could be a longshot at No. 3 and certainly in the mix if the Cavaliers trade back a spot or two. He’s a long forward (6-foot-9) with the switchability to defend bigs and guards and excellent defensive fundamentals. At the other end, he has a shaky jumper but is a very advanced passer and on-ball facilitator who often functioned as Florida State’s de facto point guard.

The problem for the Cavs is that he duplicates a lot of what they picked up in last year’s draft with Isaac Okoro. Barnes is a bit bigger but they would handle a lot of the same kinds of defensive matchups and Okoro comes with very similar offensive strengths and weaknesses. Even if the Cavs aren’t trading Sexton it could be very hard to play two non-shooters like Barnes and Okoro together, particularly with the paint-bound Jarrett Allen in the middle. Barnes will be good, but better in other roster situations than he would be for the Cavs.