Portland Trail Blazers: 2017 NBA Draft grades
With the 15th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers…trade their pick to the Sacramento Kings for the 10th pick.
Okay yeah. This will be a three-part analysis. Lots to dissect here. First, let’s lay out all the facts.
The Portland Trail Blazers would up going the lottery route, sending the 15th pick (Justin Jackson – UNC) to the Sacramento Kings for the 10th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. PDX moved up into the lottery and selected 19-year-old seven-footer Zach Collins out of Gonzaga.
Collins, who came off the bench for all 39 games he played for Gonzaga last season, averaged 10.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 17.2 minutes per game. He shot 65.2 percent from the field, 47.6 percent from behind the arc and 74.3 percent from the free throw line.
Dan Dickau on Blazers No. 10 pick Zach Collins pic.twitter.com/jJXMDgYvxC
— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) June 23, 2017
Per 40 minutes, those numbers translate to 23.2 points, 13.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 4.1 blocks. Per 100 possessions, Collins averages 32.6 points, 19.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 5.8 blocks.
The numbers look great for a player like Collins, who will be battling with guys like Noah Vonleh, Ed Davis and Al-Farouq Aminu for minutes at power forward.