Who should the Portland Trail Blazers take if they land in the lottery?

Jaden McDaniels, Washington

Height: 6’10”
Weight: 200
Position: SF/PF

Right up the road from Portland is Seattle and that is the home of Washington Huskies and their talented freshmen, Jaden McDaniels. The last time the Portland Trail Blazers drafted a Washington Husky, it worked it pretty well for them. But McDaniels is an entirely different player than Brandon Roy.

McDaniels is a 6’10” forward who has an 8’11” wingspan and mixes that with speed, quickness and great leaping ability. He can score and can make plays for his teammates with the ball in his hands. McDaniels is a smooth player, and is hard to stop when he has it going.

He is a gifted player on both ends, but needs to become more consistent/better jump shooter, get stronger and play a more physical game. But not too many guys in the league have his size and skill. He will get all the Jonathan Isaac and Brandon Ingram comparisons because of his body, but both of those guys have started to make an impact in the league.

The Blazers have never really had someone like McDaniels on their roster. They could put him at small forward alongside CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard and that would help make up for their lack of size.

His ability to handle the ball and score would be essential for the Blazers as they could look to put him in mismatches as a small-ball forward or center. He won’t have to be the main guy when playing in the NBA, and that almost suites him better. His physical tools and skill set should make him one of the more intriguing prospects this year.