NBA Draft 2019: Best and worst fits for all potential lottery picks

4. De’Andre Hunter, 6-8 F, Virginia

BEST: Cleveland Cavaliers

The name “De’Andre Hunter” and the word “defense” often find themselves together in the same sentence quite often, and for good reason. On a great defensive team playing under a great defensive coach, Hunter proved himself to be Virginia’s best defender and one of the best in the nation, leveraging his 6-8 frame to defend multiple positions without fouling or making undisciplined mistakes like many other players his age.

He’s a fine shooter off the catch (albeit not lethal due to his slow gather and prolonged release) and a solid passer, making him a good bet to stick wherever he lands on draft night. For a Cleveland team that literally just put up the worst defensive numbers in NBA history, looking for a building block on the wing should be a priority this summer, and the 2019 NBA Draft gives them a legitimate shot at adding a difference maker in De’Andre Hunter.

He’s not flashy by any means and there are other players purported to have higher “upside” than Hunter, but with valuable baseline skills as a floor spacer and multi-positional defender, he projects to be ready to contribute from the jump in the NBA, even in a limited role. Plenty of other teams could use a player such as Hunter, and he’d realistically be able to find a home anywhere, but Cleveland stands out as the ideal fit for both player and team.

WORST: Washington Wizards

Not to pick on the Wizards further for their front office ineptitude, but their extensive track record mismanaging wings is too much to overcome, even for a polished player such as Hunter who wouldn’t need much nurturing and growth to become a useful rotation piece. His defensive intangibles and spot-up shooting would be useful alongside John Wall and Bradley Beal, but the same was said about Otto Porter and Kelly Oubre, and yet the team still chose to ship them out.

Contractual matters were involved, of course, and opting for a cheaper wing would be preferable for the cap-strapped Wizards and could perhaps enhance their willingness to be patient, but that’s just not a safe bet to make when there’s so much history saying otherwise. Would this be a terrible fit? No, because there aren’t really any teams that could actually be terrible fits for Hunter due to his skill set and positional versatility — but Washington stands out as the worst by a significant margin.