Cleveland Cavaliers get steal of NBA Draft 2nd round with Duke's Tyrese Proctor

Billy Heyen

Cleveland Cavaliers get steal of NBA Draft 2nd round with Duke's Tyrese Proctor image

The Cleveland Cavaliers didn't pick in the NBA Draft until No. 49, late in the second round.

They used the wait wisely, though.

The Cavs selected Duke guard Tyrese Proctor, a star from Australia.

He might just be the steal of the late stages of the draft.

It all starts with shooting, of course. That's what this era of the NBA requires from its role players, and Proctor just made 40.5% of his 3-pointers this past season for the Blue Devils.

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He's not just a shooter, though.

Proctor dished out 2.2 assists per game despite playing a low usage role next to the stud Duke freshmen. The season prior, he was up at 3.7 assists per game as a more primary ball-handler. He can distribute the ball, for sure.

And then there's this: Proctor played his NBA role in college.

Some might think that's a negative. He didn't have to be the leading man for Duke.

But Proctor won't be called on to be the leading man for his NBA team, either. He'll just be asked to perform his role well.

And his college role will look a lot like his NBA role. Shoot the ball, attack closeouts and make good passes. 

He already has seen how to do that alongside the likes of Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel.

On the more spacious NBA courts, Proctor should have an even better chance of success, especially being set up by Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell.

The native of Sydney, Australia, has a chance to stick around and be crucial as the Cavs chase an NBA title.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle