As both the NBA and NCAA basketball meet their season midway points, the Portland Trail Blazers must begin to look to the talent of the future.
When it comes to the Portland Trail Blazers, draft night conjures up a number of memories. It is this special night that, much like all other franchises, conjures up both painful memories as well as some of the fondest moments in a team’s history.
Portland fans will always remember great selections such as LaMarcus Aldridge in 2006 with the second overall pick, Damian Lillard in 2012, CJ McCollum in 2013, and Clyde Drexler in 1983. Yet who can forget the draft-day blunders such as 2007, when the Trail Blazers selected Greg Oden over Kevin Durant, or in 1984 when Sam Bowie was drafted just one pick prior to Michael Jordan?
Maybe more so than any other franchise, Portland has been night and day in any given draft year, striking home runs and suffering through strikeouts. With the Blazers currently sitting at fifth in the Western Conference with a 26-19 record in 45 games, they are over halfway through the season and in good standing in the battle royale that is the Western Conference. In the NCAA, teams are also reaching the midway point with just two months left before March Madness begins.
With two 20-points per game scorers in Lillard and McCollum, as well as a developing big man coming into his own in Jusuf Nurkic, it’s evident the Blazers could be right back to being just one star away from being in the mix for title contention. Draft talks have been ongoing for some time, picking up steam in the recent days with the talents of Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett, Cam Reddish, Ja Morant, and more captivating scouts and fanbases everywhere.
Although the Trail Blazers won’t be in position to select one of these top lottery prospects, there is undoubtedly a way for them to still find a gem in a very talented 2019 NBA Draft. However, who in Rip City’s current projected draft range (No. 21 if the season ended today) best suits the Blazers going forward into the future?
Here’s an early look at three potential prospects.