Emoni Bates sends warning to basketball world: ‘Y’all gone see’

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Emoni Bates may be a work in progress, but he doesn’t lack confidence, as evidenced by some of his latest social media activity.

In an Instagram post, he shared a confident message and let the basketball world know that it will eventually see what he’s made of.

Bates has seen limited playing time at the NBA level this season. While he has shown some flashes of excitement with the Cavs, his inexperience has also been evident at times, with his shooting clips (27.3 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from deep) being one example of how much work he still has ahead of him.

Fortunately, Bates is entirely aware of the fact that he still has some growing pains to work through, and he seems more than ready to tackle the challenge.

The 19-year-old has spent a fair amount of time in the G League this season, and he has flourished at that level. In 10 G League games, he has averaged 24.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while showing the type of efficiency that the Cavs would love to see from him at the NBA level. He has shot 45.7 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from 3-point range in the G League.

The Cavs likely knew Bates was going to be a project when they drafted him, especially since he fell to them at No. 49 overall. But in due time, the youngster could ultimately become a key piece of the puzzle in Cleveland. Based on his confidence, that seems to be his expectation.

On Dec. 27, the Cavs will be back in action to take on the Dallas Mavericks, and after that, they’ll face the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 29 in their final game before the calendar flips to 2024. Cleveland is 17-13 this season and currently holds the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference.

Bates has had an unforgettable year in 2023, getting drafted and winning many Cavs fans over, but 2024 could bring him even more excitement if the dominoes fall his way.