Portland Trail Blazers: 5 draft prospects that can add frontcourt depth

Apr 22, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic (27) watches his team play from the bench against the Golden State Warriors in game three of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 22, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic (27) watches his team play from the bench against the Golden State Warriors in game three of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
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Portland Trail Blazers
Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

Adding any of these five prospects in the 2017 NBA Draft would immediately add value and depth to the Portland Trail Blazers frontcourt.

Alongside the backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, Bosnian big man Jusuf Nurkic easily found a role in the Portland Trail Blazers frontcourt, seamlessly becoming their third hydra head.

So it was incredibly unfortunate when Nurkic went down with a non-displaced right leg fibular fracture in late-March, just when it seemed like Portland was finding a rhythm. While the team was able to find a way to stay afloat for the rest of the regular season, their postseason ended in quite a flash, predictably getting swept by the Golden State Warriors in the first round.

Although the team has big guys like Ed Davis, Noah Vonleh, Meyers Leonard and Al-Farouq Aminu, neither of them have found consistent success in their respective roles, which — in addition to the fact that the Blazers already have a solid backcourt rotation — is likely the reason why numerous NBA mock drafts have Portland picking up multiple bigs.

Here’s five of the top frontcourt prospects that Blazers fans should keep an eye on as the 2017 NBA Draft swiftly approaches.