The Cleveland Cavaliers made their lone pick of the 2023 NBA Draft with the 49th overall pick on Thursday night. With that second-round pick, the Cavs selected Eastern Michigan sophomore Emoni Bates, a 6-foot-9 forward who averaged 19.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season.

With the selection, Bates became the first Eastern Michigan player to be drafted since Derrick Dials was selected in 1998.

Bates started his career at the University of Memphis after being the No. 6 overall player in the 2021 class according to 247 Sports. During his freshman season, Bates averaged 9.7 points a game and 3.3 rebounds but was later arrested last September on two gun charges and missed about a month of basketball as he was away from the team. The chargers were later dropped and Bates was reinstated in October according to a release from Eastern Michigan.

Last season’s highlight for Bates was a 46-point performance against Toledo in which, at one point, he scored 29 straight points for Eastern Michigan.

Prior to entering college, Bates was hyped as one of the best recruits in recent memory and widely viewed as an eventual lottery pick. His college career didn’t go quite as planned, of course, and he’ll now join a Cavs team that finished fourth in the Eastern Conference last season before losing in the first round of the playoffs in five games to the New York Knicks.

Scouts view Bates as a lengthy scorer who can create his own shot and has the ability to handle the ball. The Michigan native will need to continue working on consistency from three-point range as he shot just 33% from distance during his sophomore season. He is also a player who will need to get stronger to deal with much larger, more physical players in the NBA; Bates is listed at 190 pounds.

Bates’ path to earning a roster spot is still to be determined. He could spend time with the Cleveland Charge, the G-League affiliate of the Cavs, while he adjusts to life as a pro.

Cleveland didn’t have a first-round pick in the draft after trading it to the Indiana Pacers in a deal that landed Caris Levert.