The Cavaliers spent the first part of their 2015 Draft night doing some wheeling and dealing – moving out of the first round when they dealt the 24th overall selection – Duke guard Tyus Jones – to Minnesota in exchange for the rights to a pair of second round picks this year and one in the future.
With those second round selections – Nos. 31 and 36 overall – the Wine and Gold went with Turkish forward Cedi Osman and Syracuse big man Rakeem Christmas, respectively. With their own second round choice – No. 53 overall – the Cavaliers tabbed St. John’s swingman Sir’Dominic Pointer.
After finishing just two wins away from the NBA title, the Cavaliers don’t have a great deal of roster space for rookies. But they still loaded up with a trio of talented youngsters on Thursday night.
The 6-8, 210-pound Osman was the Cavaliers’ selection at the top of the second round. Most recently, he played on an Anadolu Efes team that included former NBA vets, Dario Saric and Nenad Krstic. This past season, Osman logged more minutes than any other teenager in the Euroleague. He won’t turn 21 until late April.
“This is a player I really feel confident in,” said Cavs GM David Griffin following the Draft. “He’s a player that very likely will stay two years in Europe. Other than the Lottery picks that were taken, he was by far the player we valued the most in Europe. And somebody, again, that we think we’re going to grow with in a very positive way.”
The athletic forward from Macedonia, was a member of the Turkish national team at the 2014 and was named MVP of the FIBA Europe U20 Championship after leading Turkey to the Gold. He went for 16 points and seven boards in 24 minutes against Real Madrid.
Scouts who’ve seen the angular Osman operate love his high-motor, maturity and basketball IQ. He’s an excellent rebounder for his position, a fantastic spot-up shooter with very good range and was one of the more athletic frontline players in the Euroleague. Like most young international players, he’ll need to add a few pounds of muscle to his frame to tangle with the big boys on the next level.
With the 36th overall pick, the Cavaliers snagged Christmas – a power forward from Syracuse who was one of 15 finalists for the Wooden Award as a senior. In his final year with the Orangemen, he literally tripled his scoring average from the previous season, earned Third Team All-American Honors and was named the ACC’s co-Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-ACC.
The Virgin Islands native, who graduated in three years with a bachelor’s in communications and rhetorical studies, ranks sixth all-time in Syracuse history in games played (142) and blocked shots (247). As a senior, he led the squad in scoring (17.5 ppg), rebounding (9.1 rpg) and blocked shots (2.5).
“We were really lucky that a kid we had considerably higher on the board than 36 was there for us in Rakeem Christmas,” praised Griffin. “He’s a big that can play both the 4 and 5. He can pick-and-pop, he can finish in the paint. His growth and improvement curve were incredible. So the trajectory that his career is on right now is exciting to be a part of.”
During his senior season, he shot 55 percent from the floor and blocked six shots in a game on two separate occasions. He dropped 35 points on Wake Forest and doubled-up with 15 points and 16 boards in a win over Hampton.
At 6-9, 250, Christmas has excellent size and should be able to play either 4 or 5 at the NBA level. His defensive bona fides already established, he really improved his stock on the offensive end this past year. The 23-year-old – who played on the USA Junior National Select Team along with Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – is considered a strong finisher around the basket and gets to the stripe at a high rate.
Already with a strong NBA frame, Christmas – who’s comfortable with his back to the basket or facing up – can still add some muscle as he matures in the league.
Like Osman, Christmas has drawn praise for his maturity and basketball IQ.
To wrap up the 2015 Draft, the Wine and Gold tabbed St. John’s standout, Sir’Dominic Pointer.
The 6-6, 192-pound Detroit native was the Big East’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year and the conference’s Most Improved Player as a senior. In his final year in school, Pointer led the Red Storm in rebounding (7.7) and steals (1.9), was second in assists (3.0) and third in scoring (13.7 ppg). He leaves St. John’s ranking third in school history in blocks (172) and fifth in steals (200).
Pointer also had some of his best performances against some of the stiffest competition – dropping 24 points against both Georgetown and Xavier, grabbing 13 boards against Marquette and doubling-up in the NCAA Tournament with 21 points and 10 boards against San Diego State.
”Amazingly for us, Sir’Dominic was still on the board at 53,” explained the Cavs GM. “Sir’Dominic is a very rare player in his ability to both guard on the ball and to be a defensive playmaker. Again, odds are tough when you’re picking at 53 that a guy’s going to make a roster, but this is a guy that could’ve played in a Finals game from an attitude perspective and from a defensive perspective and from an athletic perspective.”
He finished his career as one of the most versatile players in the Big East, an exceptional defender who can check several positions. He has exceptional ball-handling and passing skills and a motor that never quits.
The Cavaliers have plenty of business to tend to over the next month or so, but getting younger and deeper on Draft night was one of them. With Thursday night out of the way – and with Summer League next on the horizon for Cleveland’s newly-minted Cavaliers – the Wine and Gold will try to buttress the NBA Finals squad that had its foundation built just one year ago.