CLEVELAND, Ohio — When NBA teams make selections deep in the second round, they’re not searching for perfect prospects. They’re hunting for specific, translatable skills within inherently flawed players.
On the latest Wine and Gold Talk podcast, cleveland.com’s Cavs beat reporter Chris Fedor and host Ethan Sands pulled back the curtain on this fascinating evaluation process as the Cavaliers prepare to use their 49th and 58th picks.
“Anybody that we talk about that would be in the range of 49 to 58 ... that player is going to be flawed,” Fedor explained candidly. “There are going to be limitations that they have. They’re going to be flaws. And I think what it is which flaws can you live with? Which flaws do you feel like are correctable?”
This acceptance of imperfection represents the realistic mindset NBA front offices must adopt when evaluating late-round talent.
No player available at those positions will be without significant weaknesses. The key becomes identifying which skills might actually translate to the next level.
Sands outlined his perspective on what carries over from college to the pros: “To me, shooting translates. Your shot is going to be the same if it’s pure, if it’s clean, if it’s sweet. It’s going to be able to go in in the NBA level the same kind of way it did in the collegiate race. Physicality is something that translates... And the third thing for me is athleticism.”
This framework helps explain why certain player archetypes become more valuable in these draft ranges. Pure shooters like Kentucky’s Koby Brea, whom Fedor highlighted, offer specific skills that teams can immediately utilize in limited roles.
“If you want to talk about a Sam Merrill replacement, like, there it is,” Fedor said of Brea. “He can catch and shoot. He can shoot on the move. He provides spacing, gravity. Shot 47% from the field, shot 44% from 3-point range at Kentucky.
“Don’t need him to have the ball in his hands, don’t need him to occupy possessions. Can’t defend anybody. But if you’re just looking for a specialist, a shooting specialist potentially to replace Sam Merrill down the road, I think he makes sense.”
The mention of Merrill, although he’s currently a free agent, is telling — a player who carved out a valuable role with the Cavaliers precisely because of his elite shooting ability despite limitations in other areas. This specialist model represents one path for late-second round picks to contribute.
Just as important as identifying translatable skills is understanding the potential role these players might fill.
As Fedor noted, even successful second-rounders like Oklahoma City’s Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins aren’t expected to be stars.
“Those aren’t every night players, per se. But they clearly have a role for the Thunder and they’ve carved out a role for the Thunder because they do things that can be helpful in short stints,” Fedor said, adding that when asked to do too much, “you’re going to see those flaws show up more and more and more.”
This nuanced understanding of role definition is crucial for teams operating in the late second round.
The Cavaliers aren’t looking for saviors at picks 49 and 58 — they’re searching for specialists who might provide value in specific situations while developing other aspects of their game.
Want to hear more about the specific prospects the Cavs might target and the fascinating process of evaluating deeply flawed but potentially valuable players? Listen to the full Wine and Gold Talk podcast episode for an insider’s view of Cleveland’s draft strategy.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
_Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from the Cleveland Wine and Gold Talk Podcast by cleveland.com. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions._