NBA Mock Draft: Orlando Magic make two surprise selections

3. Cleveland Cavaliers – Jalen Green, G, G League Ignite

There has been much debate recently about the future of the Darius Garland and Collin Sexton backcourt pairing in Cleveland.

With Sexton’s camp leaking that they are looking for an extension in the max range, the Cavaliers would be wise to split up the two 6-foot-1 guards and draft what may be the best offensive wing player available with the third overall pick.

Coming out of high school, Green was the number one ranked player in his class. Deciding to opt for the route of playing in the NBA’s G League instead of a season of college basketball, Green showed off displays of both high-flying athleticism as well as a knack for scoring playing against professional basketball players this past year.

In 15 games as part of the Ignite, Green shot splits of 53/36/83 from the floor on his way towards averaging 18 points, four rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Not to mention Green had a bunch of explosive plays around the rim as well.

Like we saw with Cunningham, Green struggled as a playmaker to keep his turnover numbers down.  Green also finished with a higher turnover percent than assist percent, which leads to some questions about if he can be a secondary distributor at the next level.

There are also questions regarding Green and his intangibles as a defender, which is why Green draws comparisons to Zach LaVine.

Despite being 6-foot-5, Green has a rather frail frame at just 180 pounds, which will make it hard for him defender the larger wing players in the NBA.

On top of that, Green has a ton of lapses mentally as a defender. You can often see him loosening his stance when guarding on-ball in addition to not using his wingspan effectively to disrupt more balls in the passing lanes.

Green is a developmental project more than Jalen Suggs would be, but Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman is fully committed to his organization’s player development program.

Drafting Green would give the Cavaliers a chance to build a special backcourt pairing in the likely scenario that they decide to move on from Sexton in the next year.