3. Emoni Bates, Cleveland Cavaliers (49th pick)
Drafted in the latter half of the second round at pick #49, Emoni Bates was an incredibly impactful player for Cleveland en route to winning the Summer League title. Unlike both Miller and Walsh who have signed to standard deals with their respective organizations, the 19-year-old Bates has been signed to a two-way deal with Cleveland.
Bates was named to the All-Summer League 2nd Team for his play throughout his time in Vegas, where he averaged 17.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on a 58.7 TS% (43.9/40.0/100.0 splits). He did this as Cleveland’s third option behind Isaiah Mobley and Sam Merrill; he was truly quite impressive.
Bates was a knockdown shooter, shooting 40.0% from deep. He was effective off of the dribble and off of the catch, displaying a good ability to play off of the ball that has to be encouraging for the Cavs. He’s a super tough shot-maker, and he even gave positive flashes in terms of his passing and defensive abilities.
He was hands down one of the top shooters at the Summer League. Just look at this:
Summer League 3PA leaders:
— Charlie Spungin (@CharlieSpungin) July 18, 2023
1. Sam Merrill—56 attempts (44.6%)
2. Trevor Hudgins—55 (38.2%)
3. Cam Whitmore—49 (28.6%)
T-4. D’Moi Hodge—47 (40.4%)
T-4. Julian Strawther (34.0%)
T-6. Emoni Bates—45 (40.0%)
T-6. Quinones (26.7%)
8. Brooks—42 (47.6%)
9. Swider—40 (42.5%)
Takeaways? pic.twitter.com/Q9sL4NjNWD
The wing room in Cleveland – Max Strus, Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, and Sam Merrill – doesn’t leave a ton of room for Bates to play in year one, but that’s okay. He’s on a two-way deal for a reason. It will be good for him to get some run with Cleveland’s G-League team as a way to build confidence. He showed very good signs this Summer League, so if he does well in the G-League, it wouldn’t be surprising if he is on a standard deal one year from now.