#Emoni Bates (drafted pick #49)
A slight appeal to authority: Read my breakdowns for [Evan](https://www.reddit.com/r/clevelandcavs/comments/otyeim/a_prospect_a_day_till_the_draft_evan_mobley_oc/) and [DG](https://www.reddit.com/r/clevelandcavs/comments/kmjuq5/wake_up_darius_garland_is_the_real_deal_cleveland/)
#Background
* Born in Ann Arbor to a father who was a former pro (euro league), Bates was groomed/pushed by his dad from a young age
* Had a 4 inch growth spurt from 6th to 7th grade (6’6 in 7th) which changed his trajectory as a prospect, his dad was only 6’4 and had been training him to be a combo guard
* played older competition from a young age (playing against HS players when he was only 9)
* [On SI cover at 15](https://imgur.com/a/v7yfkvm) ‘Magic, Michael, LeBron…And the 15-year-Old Who’s Next in Line’ 11.4.19
* His father Elgin created a pop-up prep school team called Ypsi Prep for him to feature on, entire team was built around what he wanted to do, the greenest of lights to do whatever he wanted on the court
* Bates reclassifies to 2023 draft class from 2024 (skipping a year of HS)
* While only 17, flamed out of Memphis (family connections to the great Penny Hardaway led him there) after a lower back injury and Penny’s attempt to make him into a point forward
* Transferred to EMU (his hometown), while moving he was caught with an unregistered gun in the car he was driving (claims it was his friends gun/car)
* Shot very well at the NBA combine (2nd in both catch and shoot 3’s and off the dribble pull ups)
#Measurements
(from the combine)
* Height: 6’8.2 (w/o shoes, nba height is measured with shoes)
* Weight: 179.2 lbs
* 6’9.0 wingspan
* 32 inch vertical
# Accolades
* 2019 and 2020 Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year
* 2020 National Gatorade Player of the Year
#Stats last year at EMU
* 19.2/5.8/1.4/.7/.5 on 40.5/33/78.2 playing in 30 games, averaging 33.8 MPG as an 18 year old Sophomore
* Scored an [absurd 29 straight points vs Toledo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-TGYFWTobs) en route to a career high 43
* Team went 8 – 23
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#Strengths
* Fearless [shotmaker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_zWxgMsrLc&t=11s), pulls up off the break, step back off a pound dribble or side ‘sway’ step, range from the logo, quick release
* Isn’t bothered by defenders right in his face, size to effectively fade and make difficult shots with defenders right on him, leans back more than a true fade but creates enough separation to shoot over the top…reminds me of JR Smith with his ability to shoot over people (can he do it in the league?)
* Good off of catch and shoot as well as off the dribble
* Nice handle for size, has a slick arsenal of counter moves when pressed by defenders
* Decent floater off of a spin when seeking contact in the paint, needs to add more of a running floater for attacking closeouts
* Capable of attacking closeouts, for all the talk of athleticism in the negative he is still a better athlete than most shooting specialists
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#Weaknesses
* Ball stopper who looks to go 1 on 1 and take tough fade-a-ways, Colin Sexton levels of tunnel vision
* Likes to go 1on1 but has no ability to ‘blow by’ nba level defenders, lacks quickness to play in iso
* Finishing in the paint, not a great vertical athlete, possesses awkward footwork often sapping his already limited vertical, [finishes with his right hand](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_zWxgMsrLc&t=124s) when contested to the left must learn to finish with a floater or with the left
* Does not possess an NBA body, KD/Evan thin w/o the length to make up for it, is easily rerouted by defenders while driving on offense and run right through on defense even by smaller players
* Terrible defensive effort at times, has to prove his ‘want to’ on defense
* Takes worse shots than the offense/shot clock would allow he also makes them at a good clip but is the wrong read, doesn’t see teammates with the ball in his hand, low assists for usage
* Over dribbles far too often
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#Ceiling:
* Michael Porter Jr-esque starting SF 3 years out if he adds good weight, proves to be able to space on the NBA level, gives up his old playstyle, and proves to be a decent team defender when engaged
* If I was Koby I put him in the corner on offense taking away his impulse to go 1on1 and develop that corner 3 ball to be as lethal as it could be for him
#Floor:
* Rashaad McCants-esque headcase that is out of the league before his rookie contract is up
#Likely Ceiling:
* A second unit flamethrower who needs to be reigned in to make the correct read on offense and struggles to stay engaged on defense, while playstyle keeps him from playing in ‘winning time’ in the 4th
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#Overall Thoughts
* I will be very interested in how we ask him to play in the Summer League, he’s capable of leading that unit as the main ball handler/shot taker, but if we are planning on giving him a spacing role he will likely not handle much, could be a tell as to if we see him as a potential spacing role player or a 2nd unit flamethrower
* A project player with one good NBA skill in shot making and an intriguing body that needs work but could be another asset
* A very intriguing 2nd round pick, most excited I have been for a 2nd rounder since Danny Green (#46 2009)
* Needs the ball taken out of his hands to make him an efficient player, has too much of 1on1 mentality w/o the ability to blow by or finish in the paint which leads to a lot of tough shots
* Shot making and height can’t be ignored, special at knocking down shots when covered, this is why he was drafted
* His biggest problem will be himself, he needs to become a role player at this level and give up the iso ball
* 2024 role for cavs: balling in the G-league, spot minutes throughout the year, chance that he embraces his role and surprises all of us becoming a key bench player (his shooting touch/height are NBA level skills)
[Lazy eye reminds me of Tmac](https://imgur.com/a/SNo6NHg), which is worth mentioning
If you read this all the way through, thanks! What are your thoughts?
by Abiv23
6 Comments
This is a great breakdown and I agree with the gist of it.
The kid can flat out score. For a team that got destroyed in the playoffs because of lack of bench scoring, he fits.
I think his ceiling, if he figured out that he has to try on defense if he wants to play, is a solid starter. I think the most likely outcome though is a microwave 6th man who comes in and gives us some scoring with the 2nd unit. I think he can do THAT right away. It just comes down to whether or not the coaches can get him to play D.
Nice contribution but MPJ is wildly optimistic.
I like the pick, we really need bench scoring so even if he’s a bit of a chucker I’m okay with that off the bench. realistically we aren’t getting a starter with 49 so taking a bit of a long shot prospect isn’t a bad idea
He really reminds me of a much taller and less athletic Jordan Clarkson. He has some quickness though, so presumably adding some muscle might help with his athleticism? Need to get him on DG’s routine given how much he has grown in that area.
Clarkson took a while to figure out how to use his skills within a team concept, hopefully Bates has been humbled enough already to get that earlier. I don’t see him being a real contributor though until he fills out his frame more. He would get absolutely bodied by a lot of the 3s in the league.
I agree with your likely outlook for this season. Although I think if he gets opportunities due to injury early it’s going to be like what happened with KPJ. He will flash just enough of his ability to make it hard to keep him on the bench, even if he is clearly still a work in progress.
Good writeup, thanks for taking the time. He can probably find some sort of role in the NBA if he concentrates on being a three point threat. I’m not optimistic on that, though. More likely that he’s out of the league in a couple of years (or hangs around the G league).
We shall see, though.
wow, shots fired at Sexton!, lol. During Sexton’s big scoring year 20/21, he averaged 6.1 assists per 100 possessions, Mitchell last year, 6.2.
Anyway ceiling is way to generous. I’d actually go with Duncan Robinson. Similar body types, unathletic by NBA standards, may not be able to stay on the floor because of the defensive liability, and if Bates is to succeed his path forward is limiting what he does to a more simplistic catch and shoot type role.
very good point on his summer league role. I think they may give him the opportunity to get a little crazy, but it will be concerning if they aren’t specifically working on pushing toward that ‘stand in the corner’ role. that probably indicates they’d be thinking g-league all the way as opposed to any shot at the roster.