Emoni Bates puts NBA world on notice with latest update on his body

Emoni Bates has seemingly gained a significant amount of weight compared to when he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the No. 49 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Cleveland’s recently announced Summer League roster revealed a weight of 190 pounds for Bates, a 20-pound increase from his listed weight during his rookie season. However, according to Bates, 190 isn’t even his current weight — 196 is.

Cleveland will kick off its Summer League stint in Las Vegas when it takes on the Orlando Magic on July 12. The Cavaliers will then play the Milwaukee Bucks on July 14, Golden State Warriors on July 17 and Los Angeles Lakers on July 18.

Bates is fresh off of a rookie season where he didn’t receive a whole lot of playing time with the Cavaliers. He appeared in just 15 of Cleveland’s 82 contests during the 2023-24 regular season and averaged 2.7 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists per contest.

Additionally, the youngster played in only five games for the Cavaliers after the month of December. His last NBA game of the season came in Cleveland’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets on April 14, when he totaled seven points on 3-of-12 shooting from the field and 1-of-5 shooting from 3-point range as well as three rebounds, three assists and six turnovers.

Bates spent much of his first year in the pros playing for the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate — the Cleveland Charge — and flashed some potential at that level. Across 17 games with the Charge in the G League’s regular season, he averaged 19.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.

But Bates’ scoring efficiency in the G League also left a lot to be desired. He converted just 38.7 percent of his shots from the floor and 34.6 percent of his 3s during his 17 regular-season games with the Charge.

He also didn’t get to the line all that often, considering he averaged just 1.8 free-throw attempts per game. He did make the most of his opportunities when at the line, however, as he shot 90.3 percent from the charity stripe.

It’s also worth noting that in the G League’s Showcase Cup — a 10-game sample size — he averaged a whopping 24.8 points per game and was notably efficient.

Cavaliers fans are surely hoping that now that Bates has put on some pounds, he will have the strength and frame necessary to take his game to the next level. The youngster is a restricted free agent this offseason, meaning the Cavs are likely in the driver’s seat to retain his services.