CLEVELAND — EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above previously aired on 3News on June 23, 2022.
The 2022 NBA Draft has come and gone as the Cleveland Cavaliers made four selections. The team’s first pick was made at No. 14 overall and its last selection came in the second round at 56 overall.
Here is how we grade out each of the four picks the Cavaliers made on Thursday night:
Ochai Agbaji – Wing, Kansas, 6’6”, 215 pounds, 22 years old – B
Agbaji is a relatively low-risk pick at No. 14 for the Cavs. Of all the players on the board, he was the guy that could step in immediately and contribute to winning basketball. His game as a strong defender and knockdown shooter from 3-point range should translate to the NBA relatively seamlessly. Every NBA team needs a player with Agbaji’s skillset, and the Cavaliers desperately needed help on the wing. It’s unlikely that he is instantly a starter on the Cavs, but it would not be a surprise whatsoever for him to be in the rotation on opening night.
The downside to the pick for the Cavaliers is two-fold. The first question is whether or not there were options for the Cavaliers to trade back with another team in the teens in order to collect a future asset. If Agbaji was the top guy on the board for the Cavs, they likely could have selected him at No. 17 or No. 19. The way the draft board fell, this is a bit of a reach. It’s not dramatic, but if a team like Houston was looking to trade up, the Cavaliers could have added an additional asset. The other side of this is that Agbaji doesn’t have much more developing to do. He was characterized by Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman as a prospect that is a “finished product,” as a way to suggest that he’s ready to contribute right away. While that may be true, it’s fair to question how high Agbaji’s ceiling is. He may not become that much better than the player he’s going to enter the league as. The Cavaliers took the most ‘win-now’ approach they possibly could as far as actually drafting a player, whether or not that was the right idea will be known in time.
Khalifa Diop – Center, Gran Canaria, 7’, 250 pounds, 20 years old – C+
Diop has been professionally playing basketball already over in Europe and it’s unknown whether or not he will come to play for the Cavaliers right away. His strengths help him to profile as a defensively-oriented backup center in the NBA. According to ESPN, his work ethic and his approach is outstanding and a big part of the reason he’s turned himself into an NBA draftee. If he turns out to be that, this would be a successful pick. It’s hard to find NBA-quality players in the second round of the draft.
Isaiah Mobley – Power Forward, USC, 6’10”, 238 pounds, 22 years old – C
A big man with the last name of Mobley from Southern Cal? Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? That’s right, this is the older brother of Cavaliers franchise player Evan Mobley, who was drafted with the third overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Mobley was a fringe draft prospect, meaning it would not have been a surprise had he gone undrafted on Thursday night. He does have some strength to his game, including his passing ability and the fact he shot 36% from 3-point range at his size in college is a big plus, too. Unlike his brother, he’s a good but not great defender and the lesser athlete of the two players. The elder Mobley may not see a ton of action for the Cavs, but if nothing else, their franchise player will have a new roommate.
Luke Travers – Guard, Perth, 6’8”, 199 pounds – D
According to ESPN’s ranking of draft-eligible players, Travers was the lowest-rated one to be drafted, ranking 99th overall and 21st among shooting guards. Maybe the Cavaliers could have taken a swing on a player more likely to make an impact on the team, but at the end of the day, it’s very rare for something of consequence to come from a pick this late in the draft.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above previously aired on 3News on June 15, 2022.