Cavs former second-round pick and high school standout Emoni Bates will miss significant time this season with a meniscus injury, the team announced. Bates, the former five-star recruit is on his second two-way contract with the team.
STATUS UPDATE: Emoni Bates underwent successful arthroscopic surgery today to treat a torn meniscus in his right knee.
FULL RELEASE: https://t.co/ameW17GbqJ pic.twitter.com/Y04bndd8cl
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 7, 2024
Promising Young Cavs Player Undergoes Knee Surgery
Bates played out a fairly underwhelming collegiate career at Eastern Michigan in his home state of Michigan. However, in his sophomore year, he broke out, averaging 19.2 points and 5.8 rebounds on 40.5% shooting. Despite, the subpar shooting numbers, Bates was the lead scorer on a poor Eastern Michigan roster.
His final season was good enough for the Cavs to take a flyer on him late in the second round of the 2023 NBA draft. Bates spent a lot of last season with the Cleveland Charge, the Cavs G-League affiliate. But, the 20-year-old did make his NBA debut for Cleveland last year and played in 15 total games.
In August of this year, Bates was brought back on a two-way deal. He was expected to split time between the G-League and the NBA, similarly to what he did last year. The hope was that Bates would have a chance to crack the Cavs rotation towards the middle part of this season. However, at his age, he should be able to return to a high level whenever he gets cleared. Last season in the G-League, Bates notched 19.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. The wing also shot 34.6% from three where he attempted a staggering 1o.7 attempts per game.
Bates’ Transformation
When Cleveland drafted the 6-10 wing in the summer of 2023, he weighed a measly 170 pounds at his size. Bates returned to Cavs training camp last week, weighing about 205 pounds. With added size, Bates will be able to significantly transform his game. When Bates got a shot with the Cavs during last season, he was primarily a catch-and-shoot wing. With no frame, it was difficult for him on defense and he was unable to drive to the rim effectively. But, with added size, he will be able to add value to the Cavs lineup, especially on defense. As predominantly a shooter, having the option to drive will make Bates much harder to guard.
Emoni Bates packed on 35 pounds from Year 1 to Year 2 💪🏽
170 ➡️ 205 👀 pic.twitter.com/ST2OHtXhRk
— BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) October 4, 2024
The Cavs will hope to get Bates back from injury sooner rather than later. It is obvious that Bates has significant potential and at his young age the Cavs believe he will be a part of the rotation soon.
Had a slight tear in my meniscus got surgery today n everything went good thank the most high for getting me through this❤️🙏🏽 21 gone be back stronger n better see y’all soon💯… pic.twitter.com/UCvvw9tJQb
— Emoni Bates (@BatesEmoni) October 7, 2024
Bates Surgery
The team announced earlier today that Bates’ surgery was successful. He will be reevaluated next month so the team can gauge when his return is possible. With his injury being listed as a torn meniscus it is unlikely that Bates plays at all this season. It is a major blow to a young player who has such an upside and was in a position to have a breakout year. However, in a perfect world, Bates will be back in the gym within a few months. Whether he returns to the court is to be seen, but as long as Bates can maintain his size during his recovery process he will be in a position to succeed.
