Portland Trail Blazers: 5 players to trade into the NBA draft for

Players the Portland Trail Blazers should trade into the NBA draft for: 3. Herb Jones, Alabama

In the 2020-21 season, Herb Jones exploded onto the scene for the Alabama basketball team in his senior season. He took home the SEC player of the year and defensive player of the year awards. Jones is 6’7″, 215 and is a high IQ player on both ends of the court.

Jones is a super athletic wing who, on offense, can play a point-forward role and be a primary facilitator because of his strong passing and court vision. He is an excellent ball-handler who is fantastic at attacking, cutting, and finishing at the hoop.

Jones’s issue is that he is not a good shooter, which makes him way less impactful on offense. He is a super hard worker who has worked on his game and shot a career-high last year. If Jones wants to become a starter in the NBA, he has to be better from deep.

On the defensive end, Jones is excellent as a switchable defender and should guard multiple positions in the NBA because of his size, strength, energy, and quickness. He is an excellent one-on-one defender and is just as strong as a team defender who gets into passing lanes and rotates well.

Jones is good at protecting the rim and is a hustle player who will become a fan favorite because of his style of play. For the Blazers, they kind of have a guy like Jones on the roster in Derrick Jones Jr., but he has a player option for next season, and it’s still up in the air if he will be back next season.

Regardless if he is or not, it’s never a bad idea to add another athletic wing defender. Herb Jones will probably be a better player than Derrick Jones because of his ball-handling, ability to facilitate on offense, his shot is better and his impact on defense could be more vital.

If Jones is sliding in the draft, it would be wise of Neil Olshey and the Blazers to jump in and get him because he might be able to play right away if needed.