The Cleveland Cavaliers used their sole pick in last year's draft to select one of the most intriguing prospects of the class. They selected former five-star recruit Emoni Bates 49th overall and signed him to a two-way deal.
Bates made a name for himself in high school and college as a tremendous scoring threat. He has no hesitation and plenty of confidence in his shot.
On Saturday night, Emoni set a new career high in the G League scoring 38 points in the Cleveland Charge's victory over the Santa Cruz Warriors. He also demonstrated his versatility and playmaking grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists.
This is just another night in the office for Bates who's gotten used to these big-scoring performances.
The 19-year-old has played in 10 G League games with the Charge, averaging 24.8 points per game on almost 19 field goal attempts. Bates is shooting the ball a lot but has still been an efficient player as he's shooting 45% from the field and 41% from three.
Again, Emoni is more than just an offensive player. He's also averaging 1.5 steals a game and 1.3 blocks too. Every team needs a solid two-way player and Bates is showing he can be that for the Cavs.
Emoni has yet to get a consistent role with Cleveland's NBA team. He's only appeared in 10 games and is averaging 7.6 minutes.
The Cavs' roster is still thin at the forward position and could use another player to step into the rotation down the line. That role could easily be Bates' if he keeps this up in the G League.
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