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Portland Trail Blazers: 2016 Offseason Grades

By Gerald Bourguet

Mar 31, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Boston Celtics guard Evan Turner (11) shoots the ball past Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum (3) during the fourth quarter at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Trail Blazers won 116-109. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Boston Celtics guard Evan Turner (11) shoots the ball past Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum (3) during the fourth quarter at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Trail Blazers won 116-109. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports /
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Portland Trail Blazers
Feb 13, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins forward Jake Layman (10) leaps to shoot during the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Xfinity Center. Wisconsin Badgers defeated Maryland Terrapins 70-57. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

The Draft

Thanks to the ill-fated Arron Afflalo trade from 2015, the Trail Blazers owed the Denver Nuggets their first round pick in this year’s draft. That pick turned out to be the 19th overall selection, Malik Beasley.

Afflalo, meanwhile, spent a grand total of 25 games in Portland, did little to replace the injured Wesley Matthews, and joined the New York Knicks in free agency last year before moving on to the Sacramento Kings this summer. Safe to say Rip City would like to have this one back.

In the second round, however, the Blazers got decent value with their pick at No. 47, taking Maryland’s Jake Layman. A 6’9″ small forward, Layman averaged 11.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 39.6 percent from three-point range as a senior.

At 22 years old, he’s a bit old for an NBA rookie, but he’s an explosive athlete and a solid all-around defender who earned a four-year, partially guaranteed deal.

In NBA Summer League, Layman averaged 8.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, and though he only shot 35 percent from the floor and 18.2 percent from three-point range, he also showcased some of that elite leaping ability when he put Marquese Chriss on a poster.

Layman may pan out as a rotational player who can space the floor, but he won’t be an immediate difference-maker for a team trying to build on its second round playoff appearance last year. To that end, that lack of a first-rounder because of the Afflalo trade hurts.

Grade: C-

Next: Nabbing Napier

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