It is not a secret that the Cleveland Cavaliers desperately missed Kyrie Irving playing with them in the playoffs. Irving, who was traded in the offseason to the Boston Celtics in exchange for point guard Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, and Ante Zizic, left a big void for the Cavaliers to fill.
Cleveland tried to fill the void with Thomas, but that did not work and they shipped him off at the NBA trade deadline to the Los Angeles Lakers. Then, they tried with George Hill, who was acquired at the deadline from the Sacramento Kings.
Hill brought some stability to the Cavs’ backcourt but was too inconsistent in the playoffs and cost them a victory in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
With all that being known, Cleveland has to address the point guard position in this year’s draft. Luckily for them, they have three options on the board in Collin Sexton, Trae Young, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Each point guard brings something different to the table, which could help the Cavs immediately. But whom does Cleveland favor more in the grand scheme of things?
According to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, the Cavaliers hosted Young for a private weekend over the weekend. Givony also reported that if Michael Porter Jr. gets picked before the Cavs are on the clock, their preferred choices at No. 8 are Young and Gilgeous-Alexander.
If the Cavaliers do opt for Young it will give them some well-needed firepower in their backcourt. The outstanding freshman out of Oklahoma has drawn comparisons to Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry for his three-point shooting prowess.
In his only collegiate season, Young led the nation in scoring, averaging 27.4 points per game and shot 36 percent from three-point range.
This offseason is pivotal for the Cavaliers as it’s possible that LeBron James will decline his 2018/19 option and become a free agent. If that’s the case, they need to hit on their selection at No. 8 overall.
