Cleveland Cavaliers: Potential roles for 5 NBA Draft prospects

3. Killian Hayes

Role: Offensive threat

Collin Sexton is the closest thing the Cavaliers have to a ‘go-to scorer’ at the moment. Young Bull averaged 20.8 points per game this season, the fifth most among Eastern Conference guards. As good as Sexton hs been in spurts, he isn’t the most consistent or effective scorer. His deficiencies in playmaking hinder his ability to be an all-around offensive threat.

This is where Killian Hayes comes into play. Hayes is an elite shot creator. He is exceptional at separating himself from his defender and has drawn comparisons to the NBA’s leading scorer, James Harden, for his ability to break down his opponent.

Hayes averaged 12.8 points on a 46/39/90 shooting clip in the Euro League. He is gifted at shooting off the dribble and has already established himself as a threat to nail step-back 3-pointers. Combine this with a crafty floater and long arms to finish around the rim and Hayes is a profound scorer.

More importantly, Hayes has a gift for finding open teammates. He is skilled at keeping his dribble alive and firing passes with either hand on the move. He operated the pick-and-roll at a high level for Ratiopharm Ulm, dishing out 6.2 assists per game in the Euro Cup.

He hasn’t played a game in the NBA yet but Hayes appears to be an upgrade to the Cavaliers current backcourt. The only thing that could truly push him over the top as a prospect is if he is able to become a difference-maker on defense. Hayes has a 6’4″ frame and a massive 6’9″ wingspan. This gives him all sorts of potential as a defender.

During his time in the Euro League, Hayes excelled at picking off opponents in the passing lane. His long arms made it easy for him to jump in front of passes. As a result, he racked up 1.5 steals a night for Ulm.

Where Hayes begins to decline is his decision making. While he is good at setting up his teammates, he has a tendency to turn the ball over at a high rate. He committed over 30 turnovers in 10 games last season. Much of this is due to his below-average ball-handling abilities, most notably his weakness as a right-handed dribbler.

Hayes will need to improve his off-hand before he can blossom into a real threat at the NBA level. But, if he can put the entire package together, Hayes will be filling up the stat sheet every night.