The Redemption Tour for Emoni Bates began shortly after midnight June 22 when the Cavaliers selected him with the 49th pick of the NBA draft.
The Cavs held no Zoom call with president of basketball operations Koby Altman so Altman could say how elated he was to be able to get Bates so late in the draft. No press release with some stock quote from Bates saying he is excited to join the Cavaliers and how eager he is to get to work and do everything he can to help the team win was issued.
Those things might occur early in July when the Cavs stage summer practices in Independence, but not now.
First, Bates has a reputation to rebuild. If he is successful, he might provide the scoring off the bench the Cavaliers were missing in the regular season and playoffs.
Bates averaged 32.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.1 steals a game as a sophomore at Ypsi Prep Academy in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He is slender at 170 pounds and when he was 12 years old was compared to Kevin Durant, a 13-time NBA All-Star with a similar build, although Durant is listed as 6-foot-10, 210 pounds. Bates was on the cover of Sports Illustrated when he was 15 with the caption “Born For This.”
Bates, 19 years old, did not meet those expectations as his career progressed. He played at Memphis as a freshman and averaged 9.7 points a game. He transferred to Eastern Michigan for his sophomore season and averaged 19.2 points a game.
“Bates has the look of an elite shot-maker,” the NBA.com scouting report says. “His lanky, 6-foot-9 frame resembles Brandon Ingram, and Bates has a knack for tough-bucket getting.
“His lack of efficiency at Eastern Michigan was subpar, with scoring being the central selling point. Notably, he was excellent in Combine drills, sinking 25-of-30 off-the-dribble shot attempts to tie Penn State’s Seth Lundy at the top of the leaderboard. Bates is an active defensive rebounder and can be revved up defensively.”
Perhaps Bates was surrounded by so many people telling him how talented he is that nobody had the courage to tell him he still had to work to be great. According to one report, Bates was scratched from the starting lineup for an Eastern Michigan game because he didn’t want to wear the shoes issued by the team.
Voice of EMU @JRoseDet did not hold back on what's held Cavs 49th overall pick Emoni Bates back
"Maturity issues…No. 1 red flag, Bates had to be scratched from a game as the starter b/c he didn't want to wear the team-issued shoes once… It's a 'Me-Show" sometimes"
— Anthony Lima (@SportsBoyTony) June 23, 2023
Stan Heath, Bates’ head coach at Eastern Michigan, in an April interview, told the Detroit News Bates “can make it” in the right NBA environment. Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff has a reputation of teaching young players well.
“If he’s in the right environment, around professionals that can help him and he looks to those guys for guidance, I definitely think he can make it,” Heath said. “Maybe the wins and losses (at Eastern Michigan) didn’t add up, but I think his numbers kind of did. It put him back on the radar screen.
“At the end of the day, it takes one team that likes you, that feels like you fit what they’re trying to do, and at the end of the day, this is just part of the equation.”
The Cavaliers ranked 29th in bench scoring last season. Their lack of bench scoring was exposed in the playoffs when they were eliminated by the Knicks in five games.
“Bates has not been in an environment to comfortably and consistently showcase his game since displaying dominance during his sophomore year of high school,” the NBA.com scouting report says. “Bates’ midrange prowess isn’t a fit everywhere, but his upside as a microwave scorer gives him sixth-man potential.
“Bates could spend time in the G League, especially if NBA teams determine he needs to add weight or needs time to acclimate. All of the tangibles remain present for the 19-year-old to capitalize on his skills.”
Bates was under tremendous pressure from his junior year in high school when he was projected for greatness when he was 15 years old. He won’t turn 20 until Jan. 28.
Going as late as he did in the second round, and knowing he won’t be joining an NBA team he is expected to save as an elite starting player, could afford him an opportunity to develop.