Three new players who are making up for the Cavaliers’ substitute!

The Cavaliers hold two draft picks in the middle and late second round this year. In terms of the number of players currently being tried, I personally do not agree with Brian Windhorst's view that the Cavaliers may trade draft picks.

The Cavaliers choose to trade when they exceed the second level of luxury tax, but they are still the weak side. Even if they add the two second rounds this year as a sweet spot, it will not be a good bargaining chip. In addition, there have been news that the Cavaliers want to trade upward in previous years, but it has not happened every time.

It is obvious that this year the Cavaliers can see that they are actively looking for large wings and insiders, and seeking reinforcement for the team's weak positions. In this article, we introduce three relatively worthy candidates:

Brooks Barnize

Barnize comes from Indiana with a strong basketball atmosphere. He has been a very versatile player since high school. After joining Northwestern University, he has made progress year by year. He became the main force of the team in his junior year, and was also selected into the top ten best teams and the best defensive team. He even played his best career performance in his senior year, averaging 17.1 points, 4.2 assists and 8.8 rebounds per game.

Judging from height and weight, Barnize already has the ability to fight professional strength in terms of physical conditions. Although he is not the kind of explosive player, he knows how to use his body and pace to create space. The decision-making in the pick-and-roll, the use of footwork during breakthroughs, and even the small hook in the low-post back frame all allow him to score stably at his own pace.

Although he is not the main player in the offense, he has strong support qualities and can be a panacea player who makes the team's offense run smoother.

The biggest challenge is his shooting and athletic ability. The first step is not fast enough and the efficiency of finishing at the basket is ordinary, which also makes people doubt whether he can make stable contributions in the future when facing higher intensity defense in the NBA. In terms of projection, although his shooting posture is fixed, his overall projection efficiency is not good, which greatly affects his unball value.

Considering that last year's first round rookie Jeron Tyson is waiting for an opportunity, if Barnize cannot evolve on the ball, even if the Cavaliers choose him, they may not have too many opportunities.

However, his football business, rookie maturity and practical experience give him the opportunity to become a plug-and-play rotational wing. For other teams that need stable role players, Barnize is still a worthy choice for them to invest in.

Jackson Robinson

Jackson Robinson's college basketball journey has been full of twists and turns. He enrolled in four schools in five years, from Texas A&M to the University of Arkansas, then to Brigham Young University, and finally followed the coach to join the University of Kentucky.

The wing shooter from Oklahoma finally found his game rhythm. In the 2024-25 season, Robinson averaged 13 points and 3.5 rebounds and a three-point shooting percentage of 37.6%. Unfortunately, he ended the season early due to a wrist injury in February, and missed this year's draft joint trial.

Robinson's offensive focus is mainly on the outside, not only has smooth shooting and stable shooting percentage, but also shows the potential of a shooter. He averaged more than 6 three-point shots per game. Whether it is a fixed-point shot, a catch shot after a screen, or a shot after a dribble, he can get rid of the defender with his steps and rhythm to complete a jump shot.

However, if he wants to play a stable rotation role in the NBA, he still has several obvious shortcomings: first of all, he is not aggressive enough at the basket, he is not good at actively creating confrontations, and lacks the ability to create fouls. This makes him prone to falling into a single offensive mode with only jump shots in the high-intensity defense of the NBA, and he is unable to support the real team's offensive responsibility.

Secondly, his organizational vision still has room for improvement, and the assist-loss ratio is almost 1:1, which means that he still prefers personal ending. Whether in Brigham Young or Kentucky, he has not shown much ability to actively create teammates' scoring opportunities. Although you can occasionally send simple and practical passes, the overall threat is still limited. If you cannot make up for this link, you will likely be able to serve as a shooter-type 3D support in the league.

In terms of defense, his basic skills in one-on-one single defense and rotation defense are not bad, but sometimes he will lead to loss of position due to excessive pursuit and he also needs to participate more actively in rebounding competition. Due to the shortcomings of weight and core strength, when encountering NBA-level screening, it is still not timely and stable enough to squeeze through the screen or turn around to fill up the position. These are potential risks that the team needs to consider when choosing him in the future.

Summary, Robinson is a scoring wing with professional figure, mature jump shot skills, and certain combat power. Although his offensive skills are not diverse, he still has stable potential if he develops it in 3D, and he still has a great chance of being selected in the second round.

Salyu Nian

In this year's draft, Nian is not a popular candidate for most media, but he has performed quite solidly in the Italian league. He averaged 8.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. The team has a clear role. He is a forward player with strong defense and low usage. He also has the potential to become a ball-handling forward. Judging from his current physical condition and team style, he has the opportunity to become the type that the team can choose immediately on the defensive end.

The body is sufficient, the lower plate strength is stable, the footsteps are flexible and coordinated, and can effectively deal with the ball holders and covers in defensive pick-and-roll. He has excellent ability to squeeze through screens, is good at using shoulder and body strength to absorb the confrontation when covering, and at the same time his hips rotate smoothly, he can quickly pass through the gap between the ball holder and the screener, maintain defensive position and counter strength, and also shows the potential to be a key big lock.

Of course, although the current defensive awareness and horizontal movement speed are still excellent, there is often the problem of excessive staring at the ball and being stolen by the opponent. Overall, more game experience is needed to overcome it..

As for the offensive end, Nian's advantage comes from his constant movement, breakthroughs and actively competing for offensive rebounds, allowing him to play a role without interfering with the main attacker. He is good at screening and offensive actions such as weak side empty cuts and no-ball running. He is good at using teammates' cover to create opportunities for defense replacement, so that the team's offense can maintain transmission and flow.

He has explosive power in the first step of breakthrough, and combined with his physical strength, he can often directly enter the penalty area with strong strength, creating additional scoring opportunities for the team.

Although Nion has excellent breakthrough explosive power and first step speed, he lacks stable ending ability at the basket and is prone to being disturbed in the air and losing balance. In addition, Nian's three-point shooting rate is unstable, his shooting frequency is not high, and he has not yet shown a range threat that is enough to threaten the defender. This also affects his offensive value on the offense. If the opponent chooses to make a shot, he is likely to become a drag on the team's offensive space.

Another point is that his ball-holding skills are a bit stiff. Although he can use the first step to create destructive power, he often lacks speed change rhythm and fake action response when facing high-intensity defense, which makes it difficult to create a stable ending opportunity after a breakthrough. If this part cannot be improved, it will likely limit his offensive potential on a higher-level court.

Nion's height and wingspan, as well as defensive ability, are currently scarce in the Cavaliers. They have complete defensive skills, active rebounding and strong play style, and can contribute immediately when the role is clear. If the finishing feel and projection stability can be strengthened in the future, it will naturally further consolidate his survival possibility in the NBA.