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Portland Trail Blazers: 5 options for pick No. 20 in 2017 NBA Draft

By Raymond Simms

March 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Creighton Bluejays center Justin Patton (23) during the second half in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament against the Rhode Island Rams at Golden 1 Center. The Rams won 84-72. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
March 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Creighton Bluejays center Justin Patton (23) during the second half in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament against the Rhode Island Rams at Golden 1 Center. The Rams won 84-72. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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March 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Creighton Bluejays center Justin Patton (23) during the second half in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament against the Rhode Island Rams at Golden 1 Center. The Rams won 84-72. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
March 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Creighton Bluejays center Justin Patton (23) during the second half in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament against the Rhode Island Rams at Golden 1 Center. The Rams won 84-72. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

If the Portland Trail Blazers keep the 20th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, here’s a look at five prospects they should be considering.

The Portland Trail Blazers have three first round picks in the 2017 NBA Draft. Anything is possible.

The Blazers hold the No. 15, No. 20 and No. 26 overall picks in the June 22 draft. Conventional wisdom is that the team will not keep all three. According to The Vertical, Portland currently has $143 million tied up in contracts for 2017-18. That’s $21 million above the projected tax threshold.

It’s hard to fathom the team taking on more contracts without unloading some financial stress. However, there is value in this draft if Portland keeps any or all of its picks.

The Blazers received the No. 20 pick via a trade. On Feb. 13, Portland sent Mason Plumlee and a 2018 second round pick to the Denver Nuggets. In exchange, they received Jusuf Nurkic and this pick.

The pick originally belonged to the Memphis Grizzlies. On Jan. 22, 2013, the Grizzlies traded the pick, Wayne Ellington, Marreese Speights, and Josh Selby to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Jon Leuer. On Jan. 7, 2015, the Cavaliers sent the pick to Denver for Timofey Mozgov and two second round picks.

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In the Blazers’ NBA.com draft profile, Scott Howard-Cooper says that frontcourt offense is one of Portland’s most pressing needs. The Blazers didn’t receive consistent scoring production at center and power forward until Nurkic’s arrival.

Nurkic contributed 15.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game on 50.8 percent shooting in 20 appearances. The remaining four bigs on the roster – Al-Farouq Aminu, Meyers Leonard, Noah Vonleh, and Ed Davis – combined to average 22.8 points and 21.1 rebounds per game on 42.5 percent shooting.

In the same profile, Shaun Powell adds that defense was also a problem. The Trail Blazers finished the season 21st in defensive rating. Portland can address both issues with their top two picks in the draft. They could pick up a stretch big with one pick and a rim protector with the other.

We’ve already covered five strong candidates that could be available at the No. 15 pick. This article will take a look at five options that the Blazers should consider at No. 20.

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