Should Cavalier Fans Be Excited About Emoni Bates?

Should Cavalier Fans Be Excited About Emoni Bates?

Despite Emoni Bates falling deep in the 2023 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected a player that has upside potential and can be a good player for them.

CourtSideHeat projected Emoni Bates to go in the second round as he wasn’t going to be undrafted, but certainly not a first-round selection.

In today’s article, I will be going over the pros and cons of Emoni Bates, why fans should be getting ready for his debut, and how he’ll help the Cavaliers’ bench.

Emoni Bates – Pros

• Aggressive shooter
• Willing to take contact
• Very solid at scoring on off-ball motion plays
• Very solid scorer off the dribble
• Good enough defender

Emoni Bates – Cons

• Extremely ball dominant
• Don’t expect him to be an elite rebounder
• Spotty shot selection
• Athleticism is not the greatest – not explosive or able to keep up with taller opponents
• Turnover-prone

Bates’s stock fell when he ran into the law off of the court; while the charges have been dropped and he was reinstated to play again, Bates dealt with gun/drug charges a couple of months ago.

This is what made him into being a second-round selection.

Cavs fans should still be excited about this late pick

Fans should be anticipating the best out of Bates because he will be mentored by players like Donovan Mitchell. The way Cleveland’s organization is structured, Bates will be able to thrive and be able to get better.

Safe to say the Cavaliers know a thing or two about developing players and unlocking their hidden potential. The same can be applied to a player like Emoni Bates.

Is he superstar material?

Bates is not superstar material and most likely will never be, however, his new role in basketball will be coming off the bench and providing scoring. He will need to rework his game so that he isn’t as ball-dominant and trying to have the weight of the world on his shoulders.

He was selected with the 49th pick for a reason; this is a low-risk, medium-return pick that will serve Cleveland’s objectives on the bench.

I’m telling y’all that this coaching staff and locker room will be able to mold Bates into the player they want to have. He will find his footing in the NBA and the rest will be history for Bates as a bench player.

The bench needs help

I know people are saying he’ll be out of the league in two years, and he’ll fail in the G-League, but I believe him to be the exact opposite. The hype was ridiculous when he was in high school, but there is some truth to what people were saying about him.

Yes, Bates has flaws. However, there are some flaws in his game that can still be corrected and molded into something better. The Cavaliers need a solid bench with more shooting and I believe Bates has the ability to give them some more firepower.

Experiment and test what works and what doesn’t. This was a late-round pick that forces the Cavs to feel no pressure to make it work.

With that said Bates will provide shooting and limited playmaking abilities. I could see him averaging 8/2 in 10-12 minutes per game. He’ll impact the bench in a positive way, not in a negative way.

Conclusion

Should fans be excited about Emoni Bates joining this roster? Yes, but don’t be excited thinking he is the next LeBron James of Cleveland. He will be a nice bench player that can give this team solid minutes.

Given where he was drafted and who he is, this is not a bad selection by the Cavaliers. Their fanbase should not hate this pick because this pick was a very late pick in the first place. Understand that they have no risks involved, this is a total experimental pick.

Also, given where he was drafted, he will be a solid player as a 49th overall pick. Don’t worry Cavs fans, this relationship will work out in the end.

Emoni Bates and the Cavaliers will have a fine experiment together that will land some interesting, yet promising, results.

Should Suns Fans Be Excited About Toumani Camara?

Should Suns Fans Be Excited About Toumani Camara?

The Toumani Camara selection has become a very polarizing selection with many writers and companies being skewed on what to think about Camara. The same can be said about fans who were trying to figure out who Phoenix was going to land.

Some people wanted Emoni Bates, some wanted Drew Timme, and the list can go on for a while. With that being said, how should fans react to their newest draft addition?

This article will be detailing Camara’s pros, and cons, how he fits well for the Suns, and what areas he can help them with.

Toumani Camara – Pros

• Solid rebounder
• Exceptional defender
• Decent shooter
• Decent playmaker
• Can shoot off the dribble
• Plays very well on both sides of the court

Toumani Camara – Cons

• Inconsistent shooter at times
• Shot preferences are limited
• Can be too passive on offense
• Shooting in traffic is questionable
• Sometimes undisciplined on both sides of the court

How well will he fit in for the Suns?

Camara can fit in very well for Phoenix as his ability to play as a combo forward will be cherished by the Suns. This organization needs more wings and with their financial situation, needs to go as cheap as humanly possible. That is why Camara is going to have a favorable chance to get quality minutes, despite being a very late second-round pick.

Camara will be Phoenix’s one opportunity of being a cost-controlled contributor to this team. Remember, they are paying for the contracts of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Deandre Ayton.

Camara will be a solid bench piece for the Suns as they’ll definitely use his services.

What areas can he help the Suns with?

Since the Suns are such an offensively-minded team, his defense will be examined closely and probably used a ton. That is where his value is at currently, he is a better defenseman than an offense-man.

Camara’s ability to cover the entire court is something special and will separate him from the rest due to his versatility. Rebounding is another key area that needs to be highlighted.

Camara has shown his abilities with Dayton to be that guy to secure rebounds, offensively or defensively.

In 2022-23, Camara averaged 13.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. But don’t forget about his two other important stats, steals and blocks. He averaged 1.2 steals and 0.8 (almost one) blocks per game.

He can give you a little offensive firepower, but his true bread and butter lie on the defensive side. Camara can be viewed as a developing rotational wing player.

If Camara is given the chance, then he could turn into a similar version of Atlanta Hawks’ Clint Capela. I believe Toumani Camara can be a solid bench piece for the Suns, who gets them 10/10 a game – if developed correctly and used properly.

CourtSideHeat’s official grade:

CourtSideHeat’s official grade is a B+, while many are criticizing this pick. I believe this was a smart move by James Jones and Mat Ishbia to hold onto this pick to draft the small forward.

They prioritized him and what they need over flipping the pick for more picks, which I believe will suit them better. As if they wanted more picks then they would make a couple of smaller trades in the far future to acquire picks. However, Phoenix can be built through free agency.

Toumani Camara will fit very well in what Frank Vogel wants out of his team offensively and defensively, plus it is another depth piece being added to a position they desperately lacked last season.

Conclusion:

Phoenix Suns fans should be happy with this pick. Don’t go into this negatively as this will work out very well; I am very high on the former Georiga, Dayton player as he will serve his purpose for this organization.

The Suns are in a fascinating situation where even 52nd picks have a prominent role in an organization. This will transition well as the Suns have one of the best coaching staffs in the entire league, which was built by Mat Ishbia.

The next stop for the Suns is free agency and offering those minimum/vet contracts.