The NBA Draft is less than a week away, and teams are beginning to finalize their draft boards.
Over the last few months, we have participated in mock drafts and profiled potential prospects the Cavaliers could select with the fifth overall pick. The options seem to be narrowing down, though their final decision is still five days away.
The league selected 29 prospects to participate in interviews leading up to the draft. During the first two days, a handful of players the Cavs are likely considering spoke.
Here’s what we learned about these potential targets:
Deni Avdija | SF/PF | Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Avdija publicly said he doesn’t have a preference regarding the team he goes to on draft night. He hopes the team that drafts him is going to “maximize my potential and I’ll be a major part of the team.”
For a 19-year-old wing with international experience, that seems likely. He is expected to be the highest-drafted Israeli player in NBA history.
During his time off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Avdija said he worked on making his shot more efficient and improving his footwork. His perimeter shooting is one of the main concerns evaluators have had. He also recognized how his mechanics changed from when he was 16 and knows that he will continue to develop throughout the first few years of his NBA career. He’s been working to become stronger and bigger.
“Doing everything I do just a little bit faster is gonna help me, for sure,” Avdija said. “I’m a guy who likes to improve.”
Avdija wasn’t open to sharing the teams he worked out for or interviewed with in this pre-draft process, wanting to keep the list private. In his workouts, though, he wanted to show his competitiveness and his commitment to improving himself and his game. He also wanted to demonstrate his personality to teams.
“At the end of the day, I’m playing basketball and practicing. I’m doing the thing I love,” he said. “So I might as well go into the gym, smile, put on some music, work on my game and just love to improve. Smile and then be myself.”
Obi Toppin | PF | Dayton
One of the concerns about Toppin’s game is his defense, but he tried to put that idea to bed in his pre-draft interview. Toppin has been working out at a gym in South Jersey called Peak Skills Basketball. Throughout the pandemic, Toppin said a number of current NBA players — like Kevin Knox and others — also practiced at the gym. He has taken advantage of this time to get back in the gym and the weight room to continue preparing for the draft and his rookie season.
“Having those different styles of play playing against those guys, it’s been helping me a lot, especially on defense — like having to play some bigs, having to play some guards,” Toppin said. “Like, guarding a lot of the guards helped me a lot because of how fast they are and how shifty they are. I have to be able to keep up. And if not, I’ll be exposed. So I’ve been working on it a lot. I feel like I’m going to prove a lot of people (wrong) who feel that I can’t play defense. I’m gonna prove a lot of people wrong.”
Toppin has interviewed with the Cavs, Knicks and Warriors and worked out for the Cavs, Timberwolves, Knicks and Hornets. He said both his virtual interview and his in-person workout with Cleveland “went really well.”
“I feel like I did a lot of things to show them that I can spread the floor, I can work inside, I can guard different positions,” he said this week. “I was able to show a lot of different things and show my athleticism, show I can shoot the ball. I was able to show those things to help them in their decision.”
The local connection is prominent, too, as Toppin’s collegiate ties to Dayton and its fan base are appealing. But wherever Toppin lands on draft night, he said he wants to be somewhere they will help him continue to improve as a player.
“A team that’s gonna work on me and develops me to be a great player is where I want to go,” Toppin said. “The team that’s gonna help me prepare the most to be great and win a lot of games is where I want to go.”
Isaac Okoro | SG/SF | Auburn
Okoro is known for his defensive skills as a wing, but there are questions surrounding his outside shot that he hoped to answer during his workouts. Okoro said he worked out for the Cavs along with the Timberwolves and Warriors.
“I feel like during all my workouts I showed all the teams my offensive abilities,” Okoro said. “I feel like they came in thinking my offense was one of my weaknesses, but they left knowing that it was one of my strengths. So I felt like I showed them my shooting ability, my playmaking ability and my slashing ability was good.”
His focus during this offseason has been learning to make his jump shot more fluid and how to shoot the ball high enough to get the right arc on the ball. He rated his jumper during the college season at a C-plus, but with his daily work of putting up shots, he now feels like that rating is at a B-plus or A.
Okoro said he concentrated on his ballhandling, shooting and slides on defense. He returned to Auburn’s campus and played pickup games with the team, either five-on-five or one-on-one, to continue honing his craft.
He feels he can contribute offensively by attacking the rim, drawing contact, getting to the free-throw line, driving and finding his open teammates. Since the NBA sees a lot of switching, Okoro believes he can switch and guard anyone one through five in the league. Though he sees defense as his strong suit, he described himself as trying to be an all-around player, willing to contribute on offense and defense.
“From what you saw at Auburn, I just brought a winning culture and I just gave everything I had on the court and also just my high character,” Okoro said. “There’s nothing that I do that’s bad as I’m locked in. I’m just there to play basketball and win games.”
Could the Cavs trade the fifth pick?
When the Cavs were first awarded the fifth pick, GM Koby Altman said the team was pleased.
“We’re still going to acquire the best talent,” Altman said recently. “We like where we are at 5. We’re going to get a really good player that’s a fit, a cultural fit and a talent.”
But there’s another option we haven’t explored much yet: trading the fifth pick.
It seems counterintuitive to talk about trading the fifth pick with Altman and company planning to select the best player available. But if the right offer comes along, it could prove to be a good option for Cleveland to get the pieces needed to improve its roster.
Trading the fifth pick could go two different ways. First, they could trade down in the draft to a lower spot in the first round and add another asset. Not only could they add assets in the process, but there isn’t much separation between these prospects in the second tier. They could still land a solid player, fill a positional need and add future assets.
Are there teams looking to move up in the lottery? Could the Knicks or Suns want to move up a few spots to secure a certain player? What about the Wizards, who may want to secure Onyeka Okongwu and worry he won’t be on the board at No. 9?
Other players who could come into the picture are Tyrese Haliburton, Patrick Williams, Devin Vassell or potentially someone like Aaron Nesmith, Saddiq Bey or R.J. Hampton depending on who falls where. Hampton said earlier this week that he worked out for the Cavs and with the Magic, Wizards, Celtics, Nuggets, Pistons and Nets. If Cleveland could add a lower lottery pick that fills more of a positional need, along with an extra asset or two for the future, it could be the Cavs’ best option to see immediate success on the court. If not, the Cavs will have to rely on internal growth to lift them closer to playoff contention or a larger trade to acquire win-now players.
The other option could be to trade out of the draft completely, acquiring a win-now player instead of a rookie. One situation our John Hollinger mentioned in his latest mock draft was the Cavs trading Larry Nance Jr. for Boston’s pick at No. 14, Enes Kanter and Vincent Poirier. The Celtics would get Nance on a declining salary over the next three seasons, a big who can play both frontcourt positions. There are other potential trades circulating out there involving the Celtics and their three first-round picks.
In the next few days, the rumors will be flying and the mock drafts will be soaring off the pages. Before you know it, draft night will be here — followed by free agency two days later — and a handful of questions will finally have answers.
The NBA Draft is less than a week away, and teams are beginning to finalize their draft boards.
Over the last few months, we have participated in mock drafts and profiled potential prospects the Cavaliers could select with the fifth overall pick. The options seem to be narrowing down, though their final decision is still five days away.
The league selected 29 prospects to participate in interviews leading up to the draft. During the first two days, a handful of players the Cavs are likely considering spoke.
Here’s what we learned about these potential targets:
Deni Avdija | SF/PF | Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Avdija publicly said he doesn’t have a preference regarding the team he goes to on draft night. He hopes the team that drafts him is going to “maximize my potential and I’ll be a major part of the team.”
For a 19-year-old wing with international experience, that seems likely. He is expected to be the highest-drafted Israeli player in NBA history.
During his time off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Avdija said he worked on making his shot more efficient and improving his footwork. His perimeter shooting is one of the main concerns evaluators have had. He also recognized how his mechanics changed from when he was 16 and knows that he will continue to develop throughout the first few years of his NBA career. He’s been working to become stronger and bigger.
“Doing everything I do just a little bit faster is gonna help me, for sure,” Avdija said. “I’m a guy who likes to improve.”
Avdija wasn’t open to sharing the teams he worked out for or interviewed with in this pre-draft process, wanting to keep the list private. In his workouts, though, he wanted to show his competitiveness and his commitment to improving himself and his game. He also wanted to demonstrate his personality to teams.
“At the end of the day, I’m playing basketball and practicing. I’m doing the thing I love,” he said. “So I might as well go into the gym, smile, put on some music, work on my game and just love to improve. Smile and then be myself.”
Obi Toppin | PF | Dayton
One of the concerns about Toppin’s game is his defense, but he tried to put that idea to bed in his pre-draft interview. Toppin has been working out at a gym in South Jersey called Peak Skills Basketball. Throughout the pandemic, Toppin said a number of current NBA players — like Kevin Knox and others — also practiced at the gym. He has taken advantage of this time to get back in the gym and the weight room to continue preparing for the draft and his rookie season.
“Having those different styles of play playing against those guys, it’s been helping me a lot, especially on defense — like having to play some bigs, having to play some guards,” Toppin said. “Like, guarding a lot of the guards helped me a lot because of how fast they are and how shifty they are. I have to be able to keep up. And if not, I’ll be exposed. So I’ve been working on it a lot. I feel like I’m going to prove a lot of people (wrong) who feel that I can’t play defense. I’m gonna prove a lot of people wrong.”
Toppin has interviewed with the Cavs, Knicks and Warriors and worked out for the Cavs, Timberwolves, Knicks and Hornets. He said both his virtual interview and his in-person workout with Cleveland “went really well.”
“I feel like I did a lot of things to show them that I can spread the floor, I can work inside, I can guard different positions,” he said this week. “I was able to show a lot of different things and show my athleticism, show I can shoot the ball. I was able to show those things to help them in their decision.”
The local connection is prominent, too, as Toppin’s collegiate ties to Dayton and its fan base are appealing. But wherever Toppin lands on draft night, he said he wants to be somewhere they will help him continue to improve as a player.
“A team that’s gonna work on me and develops me to be a great player is where I want to go,” Toppin said. “The team that’s gonna help me prepare the most to be great and win a lot of games is where I want to go.”
Isaac Okoro | SG/SF | Auburn
Okoro is known for his defensive skills as a wing, but there are questions surrounding his outside shot that he hoped to answer during his workouts. Okoro said he worked out for the Cavs along with the Timberwolves and Warriors.
“I feel like during all my workouts I showed all the teams my offensive abilities,” Okoro said. “I feel like they came in thinking my offense was one of my weaknesses, but they left knowing that it was one of my strengths. So I felt like I showed them my shooting ability, my playmaking ability and my slashing ability was good.”
His focus during this offseason has been learning to make his jump shot more fluid and how to shoot the ball high enough to get the right arc on the ball. He rated his jumper during the college season at a C-plus, but with his daily work of putting up shots, he now feels like that rating is at a B-plus or A.
Okoro said he concentrated on his ballhandling, shooting and slides on defense. He returned to Auburn’s campus and played pickup games with the team, either five-on-five or one-on-one, to continue honing his craft.
He feels he can contribute offensively by attacking the rim, drawing contact, getting to the free-throw line, driving and finding his open teammates. Since the NBA sees a lot of switching, Okoro believes he can switch and guard anyone one through five in the league. Though he sees defense as his strong suit, he described himself as trying to be an all-around player, willing to contribute on offense and defense.
“From what you saw at Auburn, I just brought a winning culture and I just gave everything I had on the court and also just my high character,” Okoro said. “There’s nothing that I do that’s bad as I’m locked in. I’m just there to play basketball and win games.”
Could the Cavs trade the fifth pick?
When the Cavs were first awarded the fifth pick, GM Koby Altman said the team was pleased.
“We’re still going to acquire the best talent,” Altman said recently. “We like where we are at 5. We’re going to get a really good player that’s a fit, a cultural fit and a talent.”
But there’s another option we haven’t explored much yet: trading the fifth pick.
It seems counterintuitive to talk about trading the fifth pick with Altman and company planning to select the best player available. But if the right offer comes along, it could prove to be a good option for Cleveland to get the pieces needed to improve its roster.
Trading the fifth pick could go two different ways. First, they could trade down in the draft to a lower spot in the first round and add another asset. Not only could they add assets in the process, but there isn’t much separation between these prospects in the second tier. They could still land a solid player, fill a positional need and add future assets.
Are there teams looking to move up in the lottery? Could the Knicks or Suns want to move up a few spots to secure a certain player? What about the Wizards, who may want to secure Onyeka Okongwu and worry he won’t be on the board at No. 9?
Other players who could come into the picture are Tyrese Haliburton, Patrick Williams, Devin Vassell or potentially someone like Aaron Nesmith, Saddiq Bey or R.J. Hampton depending on who falls where. Hampton said earlier this week that he worked out for the Cavs and with the Magic, Wizards, Celtics, Nuggets, Pistons and Nets. If Cleveland could add a lower lottery pick that fills more of a positional need, along with an extra asset or two for the future, it could be the Cavs’ best option to see immediate success on the court. If not, the Cavs will have to rely on internal growth to lift them closer to playoff contention or a larger trade to acquire win-now players.
The other option could be to trade out of the draft completely, acquiring a win-now player instead of a rookie. One situation our John Hollinger mentioned in his latest mock draft was the Cavs trading Larry Nance Jr. for Boston’s pick at No. 14, Enes Kanter and Vincent Poirier. The Celtics would get Nance on a declining salary over the next three seasons, a big who can play both frontcourt positions. There are other potential trades circulating out there involving the Celtics and their three first-round picks.
In the next few days, the rumors will be flying and the mock drafts will be soaring off the pages. Before you know it, draft night will be here — followed by free agency two days later — and a handful of questions will finally have answers.
