Cavs kept both of their picks tonight.
The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the 2025 NBA Draft with two second round picks. They chose to hold onto both of them.
Meet your newest Cavaliers, Tyrese Proctor and Saliou Niang.
49th Pick – Tyrese Proctor
21-year-old, 6’6” guard from Duke
Cleveland’s first pick of the night was a sharpshooting guard from Duke. Proctor averaged 12.4 points and shot above 40% from the three-point line as a Junior.
Proctor fits what modern NBA teams are looking for. He’s comfortable playing off the ball, knocking down three-point shots, and serving as a connective playmaker. He can attack gaps — but he might not be skilled enough to create them on his own. This makes him a reasonable gamble late in the second round.
The biggest selling point is his shooting. Proctor excelled as both a pull-up and catch-and-shoot threat at Duke. His time as a complementary ball-handler makes him the type of player who should be able to play next to either Donovan Mitchell or Darius Garland in a best-case scenario for Cleveland.
Proctor was a steady defender at Duke. There’s reason to believe he can be a reliable wing defender at the NBA level. At least, in a team system where he’s mostly holding his own.
The Cavs won’t be asking too much from Proctor. His size and three-point shooting are the primary skills they’ll be needing. Concerns lay in his lack of elite athleticism and playmaking. But if Proctor can develop into a craftier ball-handler or stretch the floor with his shooting — he’ll have a future role in this league. One that could make him a Sam Merrill replacement for the Cavs if this offseason takes Merrill to another team.
Grade: B
59th Pick – Saliou Niang
21-year-old, 6’7” wing from Senegal
The Cavs plan to treat Niang as a draft-and-stash. It could be a while before he officially comes over to The Land… if ever.
With that said, Niang makes sense as a developmental swing for the Cavs. He’s a mobile forward with a lanky frame who has shown shades of an all-around game. He averaged 8.1 points, 5 rebounds and 1.4 assists last year. A hint of magic here and there — and all of a sudden, Niang would be a very helpful player to have.
That could be a long way away, however. Niang is a raw prospect who hasn’t found his niche on offense. He has a slow, inefficient jumper (33% from deep) and a loose handle that often results in turnovers (negative assist-to-turnover ratio). His feel for the game doesn’t seem strong enough to make up for any of this so far.
None of this should surprise you with the 59th pick. If his game were more polished, he’d be off the board by now.
Niang still has enough promise to make this an intriguing pick for anyone who believes in this archetype of a prospect. But it’s a long shot that any of this pays off.
I’d personally have preferred the Cavs target a traditional big man who could run the floor. This would have an easier time translating to their current window.
Grade: D+