Bates attempts to regain status in Cleveland
1 min readFormer EMU small forward Emoni Bates, a Top Five overall recruit in the Class of 2021, resembled one this past season in Ypsilanti, Michigan. As a result, he was selected with the 49th overall pick of the second round by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2023 NBA Draft. After reclassifying from the Class of 2022, the 17-year old Bates endured an injury-plagued opening act at Memphis in 2021-22.
This past season, he began to show more of the form that many predicted as a potential lottery selection just three years ago. We break down Bates’ game from the summer of 2021 when he played for -not surprisingly- the Bates Fundamental AAU squad on the Nike EYBL circuit.