Portland Trail Blazers: 5 options for pick No. 25 in 2019 NBA Draft
By Ty Delbridge
The Portland Trail Blazers hold the No. 25 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. If they do not end up trading the pick, here are five good options for their first-round selection.
Four the fourth year in a row, the Portland Trail Blazers are selecting in the back half of the NBA Draft at No. 25. Last year, the Blazers picked Anfernee Simons at No. 24, a year before that it was Caleb Swanigan at No. 26 and then Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (who was traded for Mason Plumlee and Pat Connaughton) was the pick back in 2015 at No. 23.
The Blazers are coming off a season where they went to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2000, but were swept by the Golden State Warriors. They have knocked Portland out of the playoffs three of the last four years. Another playoff exit showed this team needs help on the wing from guys who can play a 3-and-D role and players that can score, create and make things happen with the ball in their hands.
The Blazers have one of the better player development staffs in the entire NBA and have turned later picks in the draft into meaningful role players — guys like Allen Crabbe, Pat Connaughton and Jake Layman. Now Anfernee Simons and Gary Trent Jr. are on similar paths to being contributors for the franchise.
This is a very top-heavy draft that most media scouts seem to believe drops off after pick No. 3. However, there are still a lot of good players that can fill specific roles for teams, and every year, there are a few guys that slip in the draft and end up making a meaningful impact. Examples from the recent past include Kyle Kuzma, Malcolm Brogdon, Josh Hart and Draymond Green.
With only one pick this year, Portland has one shot at finding a guy that can help out for the future. The Blazers could trade the pick for cap relief or a veteran player, but Neil Olshey might hope to add to his already impressive draft resume. There are still pre-draft workouts to be scheduled, and that will give a better look into what the front office and coaches are hoping to add. However, until then, here are five options the Blazers should consider if they do indeed keep the pick.
Honorable Mentions: Luguentz Dort, Talen Horton-Tucker, Cameron Johnson