2025 NBA Draft Prospect- Matthew Cleveland

As we are running low in terms of draftable players that have logged at least one collegiate season playing in the Carolinas, I want to turn my attention to other players in the ACC. The podcast I did with Draft Carolina is the gift that keeps on giving. I was asked if I thought the conference could bounce back from a rather low number of draft picks during the 2024 NBA Draft. While I encourage you to listen to the podcast, in short, I believe the ACC will see several of their players hear their names called next June.

Many of those players are likely going to be one and done. The Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels – the traditional blue bloods – could see upwards of five freshmen get drafted in the 1st round in 2025. I will be getting to their draft profiles once they have some college games under their belts, but again, want to focus on draftable players in the conference that have logged collegiate minutes for the time being.

Matthew Cleveland is another fringe draft candidate, like RJ Davis in that regard, but not the household name that Davis is. The former Florida State Seminole, current Miami Hurricane, and former ACC Sixth Man of the Year (2022) is primed to have a strong senior campaign.

Unlike Davis, Cleveland has not been as statistically productive. Other than defensive rebounding metrics (2023) and field goal percentage (2024), he has never ranked inside the top 10 in the ACC in any major statistical category during his collegiate tenure, per Sports-Reference. But Cleveland’s draft day destiny is not as closely tied to statistical production as other players.

He continues to prove that he can grow into the 3-D mold at the next level, and his steadily improved floor efficiency metrics support that. I expect Cleveland to continue to mature as an outside shooter this year. But ultimately, it is more about his physical attributes, particularly his length and athleticism that is the driving force behind why some are pegging him as a late 2nd round pick.

I am not in love with a highlight video of this length, but I will be noting key sequences as always. Before we dive into what the film does show, I want to point out a key omission – there are zero three-pointers shown. That seems somewhat strange for a player that connected on 30 triples last season while shooting 35.7% from beyond the arc. No, Cleveland is not a high-volume marksman, but I find it interesting that in over nine minutes of highlights that not one is included.

His athleticism is evident throughout this video. Perhaps no better example exists than the breakaway dunk in transition beginning at the :22 mark in which Cleveland leaves the ground outside of the lane line. Equally adept at leaping off one or both feet, which not every player feels comfortable doing, he is an explosive leaper and an above the rim finisher. Cleveland throws down four alley-oops in this video – starting at the :11, 3:05, 4:33, and 6:12 marks – as well as dunks off both feet from a stationary position (3:53 mark).

His athletic gifts pair nicely with a mature frame and good body control that enables him to finish through contact. Cleveland converts six and-one opportunities in this video – beginning at the 1:41, 2:41, 4:25, 5:11, 7:35, and 8:43 marks – and not all are dunks. He demonstrates a soft touch, and his lift and strength allow him to finish at awkward angles due to absorbing the contact.

Not every player that is a good athlete with ideal size is a plus defender. That is not the case with Cleveland. We only see one true on-ball possession starting at the 2:25 mark, but he sits in a stance, does not get flatfooted, and has a twitchy lateral burst. There are plenty of examples of Cleveland being disruptive in passing lanes.

Starting at the 1:06, 1:30, 3:22, 5:51, 7:24, 8:14, and 9:02 marks, he anticipates the pass, records the steal or tips it to a teammate, and then finishes on the other end. These are strong examples that support the idea that Cleveland does not need to use possessions to put up points by turning defense into offense.

Even though transition does not represent a large portion of the game, he is very efficient when given the opportunity to run. Per Synergy, Cleveland averaged 1.101 points per transition possession (120 points in 109 possessions). He converted 59.8% (49-82) of his two-point attempts and 50% (9-18) of his three-point attempts. Those are strong metrics for a player that is likely not going to be called upon a lot to create in the half court.

That said, Cleveland does flash his ability to create his own shot in the half court enough to make teams intrigued. I particularly like the sequence that begins at the 3:42 mark as he drives left, spins back over his left shoulder and hits a mid-range jumper. A similar example occurs starting at the 7:00 mark. Cleveland combines his comfort in putting the ball on the floor with his lefthand and this athleticism with a nice two-handed dunk against North Carolina beginning at the 7:58 mark. There are several other examples – 5:35, 6:00, and 8:30 marks – if you want to check those out.

Like Davis, if he was younger, I think we are talking about a guy that should have 1st round consideration. Cleveland just turned 22-years-old, so he is appropriately aged for his class, which will help him slightly. He had a high pedigree out of high school as a consensus top 30 recruit across major websites. Those things might seem incremental but could make all the difference when a team is looking for players that can produce sooner than later in the late 2nd round.

How productive Cleveland is, with demonstrated growth in some key areas – outside shooting – is likely going to be the biggest driver behind whether he hears his name called. If that happens, he will also help steer Miami back to their winning ways after a disappointing 15-17 year in 2023-2024.