Quick React: Latest Cavs’ Draft News

There’s a new report from cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor regarding two “surprise” names that are in the running for the 14th pick of the 2022 NBA Draft: Dalen Terry of Arizona and MarJon Beauchamp of G League Ignite. Here’s some quick analysis and reaction to the news…

When a team has the last pick of the lottery it needs to cast a wide net. #Cavs are doing just that. Sources say the front office has given J.B. Bickerstaff 10-12 film breakdowns of potential choices at No. 14. Dalen Terry & MarJon Beauchamp are 2 of themhttps://t.co/ileQIcBnWa

— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) June 6, 2022

1. Cavs casting a wide net

According to earlier reports, the Cavs are laser-focused on finding a “two way wing” to complete the core of the team that has an All-Star guard (Darius Garland), an All-Star center (Jarrett Allen), and arguably a generational talent in rookie Evan Mobley. Given the fact good to great wings never hit free agency and are never cheap, the easiest route for the Cavs to add wing talent is through the draft. The Cavs are leaving no stone unturned with their names being linked to every possible wing that could be available at the 14th pick: Tari Eason, Jeremy Sochan, Dyson Daniels, Ousmane Dieng, Jalen Williams, and Malaki Branham just off the top of the head. Even though Dalen Terry and Marjon Beauchamp are currently projected as fringe first rounders, their size and athleticism make them obligatory candidates for the Cavs to check out.

2. Why Dalen Terry?

There are a number things that stand out when discussing Dalen Terry. First off, he has ideal size and athleticism for an NBA wing, standing at over 6’7″ with a seven foot wingspan. His tape pops with defensive playmaking (3.7% career stocks rate) and spectacular dunks off of transition and cutting. He hasn’t turned 20 years old yet, so he will have the ability to add grown man muscle and speed in the next few years. His statistical production compares favorably to recent Cavs’ draft selection Isaac Okoro, with Terry sporting a better career rebounding rate (9.2% vs 7.6%), a better assist rate (18.8% vs. 13.1%), and a better career three point shooting percentage (35% vs. 28.6%).

What are the areas of concern for Terry? Much like Okoro, their are concerns about how limited Terry is on the offensive end, especially in regard to on ball offense and shotmaking ceiling. He’s not a player who’s shown he can create his own offense off the dribble, mainly regarded as an afterthought in Arizona’s offensive scheme with a far below average career usage rate of 13.9%. His decision making on the ball is also of some concern especially given his low usage, with a terrible career turnover rate of 18.6%, though he made strides in that department from his freshman to sophomore year. Finally, he’s a career sub-70% free throw shooter, which provokes concern about how consistent he will be as a jump shooter in the NBA. With his current offensive limitations, it’s fair to say that Terry’s largely a one way wing with time on his side to improve to a passable offensive player.

3. Why MarJon Beauchamp?

Beauchamp is another defense-first wing in the mold of Dalen Terry and Isaac Okoro. He has nearly identical height, weight, wingspan measurements as Terry does, though he looks a bit more filled out strength-wise as an older prospect at 21.7 years of age. His tape, like Terry, pops with defensive playmaking (3.8% stock rate in G League) and spectacular finishes on cuts and transition. With an outstanding 63.8% true shooting percentage, his length and athleticism allow him the ability to be efficient scoring around the basket. Beauchamp also showed a superior ability to get rebounds, with a higher rebound rate (11.2%) than Terry in the G League, which has a much better quality of competition.

In a similar vein to Okoro, Beauchamp appears to have massive limitations regarding his jump shot and ability to make plays off the dribble for himself and others. He shot only 24.2% from three in G League, and shot an obviously sub par free throw percentage of 65%. His film shows him mostly doing damage as a play finisher, rarely showing any ability to create for himself and others. His 10.6% assist rate in G League is an obvious concern, although the ball wasn’t in his hands much due to playing with fellow NBA prospects Scoot Henderson and Dyson Daniels, who both had the ball in their hands a lot. There’s a legitimate question as to whether Beauchamp will be a wing in the NBA because of his lack of perimeter offensive skills. His G League tape appeared to show a guy who operated more as a “small ball” big rather than NBA wing. Perhaps the hope is that he could grow into the wing role although at nearly 22 years old, time is of the essence.

4. What does the Cavs’ interest in Terry and Beauchamp say, if anything?

Given the Cavs reported interest in Terry and Beauchamp, they clearly feel the need to add competition to the perimeter defensive stopper role that Okoro and Lamar Stevens currently occupy. It’s fair to say that both Terry and Beauchamp are equal, if not better, prospects than Okoro or Stevens were coming out of college. But the problem with both Terry and Beauchamp as prospects is neither player will improve the Cavs’ offense especially where they’re weakest: pick and roll playmaking and spot up shooting. Both players represent an attempt by the Cavs to double down on the defensive end and hope they pop on offense. As such it’s hard to endorse either of these guys as the correct pick at 14, especially when there’s higher offensive upside wings such as Ochai Agbaji, Malaki Branham, Jalen Williams, Tari Eason, Christian Braun, or Jake LaRavia to name a few.

5. What do you think?

What say you, Commentariat? Would you rather go higher offensive upside wing? Or double down on the defense? Sound off below!