The Cleveland Cavaliers may have been eliminated from the 2023 playoffs in the first round despite finishing as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference last season, but the organization has certainly improved this season.
Despite facing a plethora of injury troubles, the Cavaliers have managed to stay competitive in 2023-24.
While many veterans and young studs have gotten their fair chances of contributing to this success, there is one player who is slowly but surely focusing on improving his skills to be featured on head coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s radar.
We are talking about none other than the 49th overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, Emoni Bates.
Despite playing just ten games for the Cavaliers this season, Bates has been improving himself by putting up great numbers for the Cavaliers’ G-League team.
NBA analyst Justin Rowan heaped huge praise on Bates for his performances in the G-League via Ball Don’t Lie on Twitter.
“Wings that are that tall, can shoot the hell out of the ball like him, that is something that’s hard to come across,” Rowan said.
"Wings that are that tall, can shoot the hell out of the ball like him, that is something that's hard to come across."@Cavsanada talks Emoni Bates' growth with the Cavs' G League team π pic.twitter.com/AAWxIMkFqG
— Ball Donβt Lie (@Balldontlie) January 30, 2024
Rowan explained that Bates is a special player due to being a tall wing and still having a knack for shooting the ball during games.
So far, Bates has played just ten games for the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he has averaged 1.8 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game for the organization.
While these numbers may not jump out of the box score, he has put up 24.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game for the Cavaliers’ G-League team.
Keeping that in mind, Bates certainly has the potential to one day become an elite player for the Cavaliers in the future.
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