Emoni Bates Shares His Thoughts On His Draft Position

Emoni Bates was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the 49th pick in the latest NBA draft but he hasn’t let that low number hold him back.

So far, Bates has shown he is capable of great things during the preseason.

He has done so well, in fact, that many people have forgotten he was a second-round draft pick.

Speaking with Evan Dammarell, Bates opened up about the draft process and how he feels about it.

Bates said:

“I feel, in my opinion, that there were a lot of people picked ahead of me that shouldn’t have been. But, I don’t pay attention to that. My focus is to come in here and get better each and every day. Like you said, this situation is perfect for that.”

I asked Emoni Bates about J.B. Bickerstaff’s comments last night anout being in an ideal situation after being drafted so low despite his talent and here’s what the #Cavs rookie had to say: pic.twitter.com/W2usUmJ0xf

— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) October 17, 2023

Nearly everyone has been impressed by Bates, including his coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

Bickerstaff recently said that Bates is in the ideal situation to have a serious impact on the team and the rest of the league.

People underestimated Bates after the draft so now he is positioned to beat expectations and surprise everyone.

One of the reasons why Bates didn’t get selected in the draft’s first round was because his sole season in college wasn’t great.

He underperformed with 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists a game when playing for the University of Memphis.

He then transferred to Eastern Michigan University, where he performed better.

However, his rough stint with Memphis hurt him in the draft.

That’s all in the past now and Bates is blowing people away in the preseason, averaging 12.7 points on 14-of-27 from the field and 9-of-20 from the three-point line.

Bates has clearly moved on from his tough times in college and the draft and is ready to keep helping the Cavaliers.