Posted by Rick Jabot
July 7, 2023
CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed forward Emoni (e-MON-e) Bates, forward Isaiah Mobley and guard Craig Porter Jr. to Two-Way contracts, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today. Reflective of the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, teams will be able to roster up to three players on a Two-Way contract this upcoming season.
Bates (6-9, 190) was selected 49th overall by the Cavaliers in the 2023 NBA Draft and appeared in 30 games (all starts) as a sophomore for Eastern Michigan University this past season, averaging team-highs in points (19.2) and rebounds (5.8) in 33.5 minutes. Bates, an All-Mid-American Conference Third Team selection, also recorded four double-doubles and his 19.2 points per game average ranked 39th nationally and third in the MAC. Additionally, Bates finished fourth in the MAC in three-point field goals made per game (2.5) and shot 76-230 (.330 3FG%) from beyond the arc on the season. His 76 made three-pointers ranked eighth in a single season in program history. Bates registered a season-high 43 points at Toledo on Jan. 24, the ninth-best single game total in the NCAA this season. He started his collegiate career at the University of Memphis before transferring to Eastern Michigan and was named the 2020 Gatorade National High School Player of the Year.
Mobley (6-10, 240) appeared in 12 games for the Cavaliers during his rookie year this past season and recorded a career-high 18 points on 7-12 (.583) shooting from the field, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks in 29 minutes on April 6 at Orlando. As a Two-Way player during the 2022-23 season, Mobley also appeared in 22 games (all starts) in the NBA G League for the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League team, holding averages of 21.0 points (.522 FG%, .353 3FG%, .730 FT%), 8.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.14 blocks in 33.0 minutes. He was selected 49th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft by Cleveland after spending three seasons (2019-2022) at University of Southern California.
Porter Jr. (6-2, 178) spent last season at Wichita State University, averaging 13.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.52 steals and 1.48 blocks in 33.5 minutes, becoming the first player in program history to lead the team in rebounding, assists, blocks, and steals in the same season. He also became the second Shocker in the last 50 years (Fred VanVleet) to record a triple-double, finishing with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists on February 26 at Tulane. Porter Jr. played three seasons total at Wichita State, appearing in 75 games (59 starts) for the Shockers during his Division-I collegiate playing career and averaged 8.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 26.1 minutes. He also played two Junior College seasons at Vincennes University in Vincennes, Indiana, helping lead them to an NJCAA national championship in 2019.
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