5 NBA Draft prospects for Cleveland Cavaliers to watch

2. Isaiah Stewart

It’s time for the Cleveland Cavaliers to address their most pertinent needs. This squad must draft a paint beast.

Due to elite rebounders such as Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love, the Cavs have avoided being completely dominated in the paint. However, their lack of size and shot-blocking ability has been a glaring issue for nearly a decade.

In order to fix this problem, the Cavaliers could draft Isaiah Stewart. Though he is still slightly undersized, this forward lacks no strength and has potential as a rim protector. His jumping ability and bulky frame more than makeup for his height.

Stewart is averaging 18.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 29.7 minutes as a freshman for Washington. He is gritty and carries all of the heart that the Cavaliers need on the defensive end.

The biggest negatives in his game all revolve around his offense. He has some work to do as a finisher and is a poor shooter from outside of the paint. This could limit the Cavaliers in a pace-and-space era.

Still, Stewart has the size that Cleveland needs. There is a chance that he falls deeper into the draft, allowing the Cavaliers to select him later on much as they did with current breakout star, Kevin Porter Jr.