Cavaliers’ Emoni Bates Could Be One Of The Steals Of The NBA Draft

Nobody quite knew what to expect from Emoni Bates entering last month’s NBA Draft.

“He will be a polarizing guy,” one NBA scout said of Bates ahead of the Draft. “I would guess someone will take a chance.”

“He’s a talented offensive player who right now is a 2nd-round pick,” a second NBA executive said. “Risky, but worth the risk.”

The Cleveland Cavaliers ended up taking the risk by selecting the 6-foot-9 Bates with the 49th pick in the Draft — and so far it’s paying off in a big way.

The Ypsilanti, Mich. native scored 19 points for the undefeated Cavaliers (6-0) in a 99-78 victory against the Houston Rockets in the NBA Summer League final on Monday night. Bates was also named to the NBA All-Summer League 2nd Team.

It’s worth noting that none of the following players made the All-Summer League teams: Victor Wembanyama, Brandon Miller, Scoot Henderson and Amen and Ausar Thompson, among many other big names.

“He showed a lot of improvement during the Summer League,” one NBA scout said. “He was one of the better high school players in the country at one point. Sometimes these expectations can overwhelm a player and his family at such a young age. He is still just 19 years old.”

Bates signed a two-way contract with the Cavs, meaning he can get plenty of reps with their G League affiliate, the Canton Charge, and still be available for up to 50 regular season games for the Cavs.

Several NBA vets have helped Bates transition to the NBA, and he should benefit from those relationships going forward.

“I’ve got a lot of [NBA] vets in my corner,” Bates said at Summer League. “Of course, Donovan [Mitchell]… Ja [Morant], Dejounte Murray, Miles Bridges… Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant. Like they all just tell me to stay in the gym. Like to just keep working.”

Bates was once compared to a young Durant and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, but never quite lived up to the hype.

He spent one season under-achieving at Memphis while coach Penny Hardaway tried to shoehorn him into the point guard position, an unnatural spot for a natural wing scorer. He averaged 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds while missing nearly two months with a lower back injury.

After transferring to Eastern Michigan, Bates averaged 19.2 points per game on 41% shooting including 33% from beyond the 3-point line.

Last fall he had felony gun charges dropped after he was pulled over by police while driving someone else’s car. A gun and weed were found in the vehicle.

That also hurt his stock.

His father, Elgin, said in an exclusive phone interview that “people make mistakes,” but that it shouldn’t derail his career permanently.

“The kid has had one incident his entire life,” his father said.

“It’s OK, he had to start from the bottom to become who he is and he doesn’t mind doing it again. It doesn’t matter, because he loves the game,” his father added.

“That’s the difference. Some people like it, and some people love it.”

(The AP contributed reporting)