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 /

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Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

T.J. Leaf || PF || 20 years old || 6’10”, 222 lbs.

NBADraft.net has T.J. Leaf slotted at the 15th pick, while Draft Express and Sports Illustrated has Leaf going at 23. Playing 35 games at UCLA, Leaf averaged 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 blocks in 29.9 minutes. He shot 61.7 percent from the field and 46.6 percent from behind the arc.

Leaf is the complete opposite of his teammate Ike Anigbogu, projecting to be a high-level offensive talent while lacking defensive upside. That’s not to say he’s a terrible defender, but his lack of strength and lateral quickness could prove problematic at the NBA level.

Nonetheless, Leaf could still end up being a stellar fit in Portland’s offense as a stretch-4, running and gunning alongside Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.

Considering Portland has the 15th pick, the 20th pick and the 26th pick, one of the best possible scenarios would have the Trail Blazers taking both Anigbogu AND Leaf, pairing a young, developing frontcourt with their core backcourt.

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