Sports Illustrated’s latest NBA Mock Draft has the Cleveland Cavaliers opting to take 19-year old Memphis center James Wiseman.
When the NBA Draft actually happens this would be an interesting pick. Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated put together a mock draft and has the Cleveland Cavaliers selecting Memphis center James Wiseman second overall.
James Wiseman is extremely talented and could help the Cleveland Cavaliers build a foundation for the future. The only real problem is exactly what the plan for the Cavs actually is. They are a team pulling in two different directions. Half their roster points towards tanking while the other points towards trying to compete. Before they can ever consider which player to pick in the draft, they need to figure out what direction they are heading in. The best path? Acquire young players and look for a long term future. Attempting to take a shortcut and “retool” has not worked.
Woo mentions the presence of Andre Drummond and Kevin Love in his reasoning for the pick. Drummond has a player option for next year and Love is still under contract for three more seasons. Drummond picking up his option may change draft plans for the Cavs. Having two centers who are limited offensively is not the best team building philosophy.
If the team moves on from both Drummond and Love taking Wiseman would be a great building block for the future. A group of players consisting of Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Kevin Porter Jr., and James Wiseman would be a great start for the Cavs as they continue to navigate the second post-LeBron era.
