Emoni Bates’ biggest issues were on full display in the Cleveland Cavaliers Summer League debut

Cleveland Cavaliers rookie forward, Emoni Bates, had a very bad debut in the Summer League.

The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t have a first-round pick this year in the 2023 NBA Draft, so we know that the expectations for this year’s rookie class aren’t high. Yet, we didn’t know the debut would be as bad as it was for this year’s Summer League. Emoni Bates, the only player drafted by the Cavs in 2023, made his debut for the Cavs during Friday’s Summer League premier.

Bates did not have a great outing, even a little. Sure, his 16 points may seem impressive but not when you realize it took him 18 shots to get it. He only went to the free-throw line once and didn’t have a single assist to his name.

On the night he shot just 27% from the field and just 30% from three. He did have six rebounds, however, so that’s nice. I guess.

And while a lot of people will demand that we “give him time”, the problem is that time isn’t going to help Bates. See, the issues that Bates had in high school and college are on full display here. He’s a high-volume, but low-efficiency shooter, who doesn’t see the court well, or get his teammates involved in the action.

All told, he took 23% of the team’s shots and was inefficient as they came. For context, Donovan Mitchell, took just 20% of the Cavs’ total shots this season and shot 48% and 39% from the floor and from three. So if you shoot that much, you better be doing better than going 5-18.

With all things being even, Bates was a solid hand defensively last night. It may not translate against better NBA talent but he did have six rebounds, four of which were on the defensive side of things, two steals, and a block, all while getting clocked for just one personal foul.

It’s too soon to say Bates is a bad player, as his Summer League debut was certainly up and down, but it’s not too soon to say that Bates’ Summer League debut was bad.

Craig Porter stumbles in Cleveland Cavaliers Summer League Debut

Craig Porter Jr. was also on hand for the Cleveland Cavaliers Summer League Debut, and while Bates showed promise but ultimately played poorly, Porter may be getting some unwarranted time on the court. He went just 3-11 and had seven rebounds. He did have three assists, but that’s dwarfed by his four turnovers. Defensively he was fine but he wasn’t exactly playing against NBA pros now, was he?

Porter didn’t show a lot in his debut, and even less than Bates.

Maybe if Porter and Bates were the only two guys on the team to put up some figures, we wouldn’t be as hard on them, but the sad thing is, they weren’t. One Cavs played really showed that he was here for more than just Summer League. But more on him later.

• Published on 07/08/2023 at 21:57 PM
• Last updated at 07/08/2023 at 21:57 PM