Emoni Bates is going to get an NBA shot.
A former top basketball prospect in high school who struggled on the court in college and was arrested last September, Bates was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the No. 49 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday.
Bates, a 19-year-old, 6-foot-9 forward, was once considered the next generational talent in the NBA — compared to Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James on a Sports Illustrated cover.
He was selected after an impressive individual year at Eastern Michigan, where he averaged 19.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game but the team went 8-23.
The former high school star, who led his team at Ypsilanti Lincoln to its first Division 1 state title, began his college career at Memphis, where he chose to attend after de-committing to Michigan State.
He had a poor showing in his first season at Memphis, battling a back injury as he played in just 18 games and averaged 9.7 points on 38% shooting, before eventually transferring to Eastern Michigan.
Bates was then arrested in Sept. 2022 on two gun charges, carrying a concealed weapon and altering the identification marks on a firearm, which earned him a one-month suspension from the team.
The Cavaliers selected Bates with their only pick in the draft, taking a risk on the high-scoring forward with sky-high potential.
Cleveland just completed a season where it finished as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference before losing to the Knicks in five games in the playoffs.
The Cavs are led by star guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, as well as defensive stalwarts Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, but they’re in need of depth on the wing.
Bates, who had a few monster performances with Eastern Michigan – such as a 46-point eruption against Toledo and a 30-point showing against Michigan – should get the chance to prove the validity of his once-stellar potential.