Complete grades for all 30 teams in the 2019 NBA Draft
Cleveland Cavaliers
Darius Garland (No. 5), Dylan Windler (No. 26), Kevin Porter Jr. (No. 30)
Less than 10 games played at Vanderbilt this past season wasn’t enough to keep the Cleveland Cavaliers from taking Darius Garland No. 5 overall. A creative point guard with a scorer’s mentality, he’s shown the ability to put in buckets from just about any spot on the court.
What makes this pick questionable for Cleveland was its 2018 selection Collin Sexton, another miniature ball-handler at his best with the ball in his hands. Their fit next to each other will certainly be a talking point among Cavs fans, a pairing that can hopefully be more Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum rather than Luka Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr.
With the 26th pick, Cleveland managed to snag a player who wildly impressed as a senior at Belmont in Dylan Windler. Having averaged 21.3 points on 42.9 percent shooting from deep, he projects as a capable outside shooter who is sure to pick up a thing or two from fellow stretch-forward Kevin Love.
Darius Garland at the NBA Draft: "I think me and Collin [Sexton] will play really well together. You see Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum playing really well, playing in the playoffs. The future is really bright for us." #Cavs
— INSIDE HOOPS - NBA Basketball (@InsideHoops) June 21, 2019
To round out the first round, Cleveland decided to make a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks and swing on Kevin Porter Jr., the flashy scorer who brings with him tremendous upside. He’s got a great frame that should translate to the NBA level with handles and instincts that allow him to get by defenders.
The Cavs were aggressive on this draft night. The fit between Garland and Sexton is one that needs to be seen to believed, but Garland may have been the best prospect available, while Cleveland also managed to acquire two other talented players late. In this chapter of the rebuild, acquiring talent is key, and in that sense, the Cavs ended up just fine.
Grade: B+