2024 NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Hawks play it safe, Wizards go big, Spurs fill two needs

7) Portland Trail Blazers-Ron Holland

Thus far, each team has frequently been mocked to take a specific player several times but the Portland Trail Blazers are harder to predict. They are still early on in their rebuild and while they have a building block in point guard Scoot Henderson, they also have several veterans that are young enough to keep around. That means that they would probably go for the best player available instead of fit and that would likely be forward Ron Holland.

Getting Holland at seven would be terrific value for the Blazers, since he was previously seen as being the best player in the draft class and some still believe him to be. He put up big numbers on the G League Ignite, averaging 19.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, as well as 2.3 steals per game. Despite that, he seems almost certain to fall out of the top five and that could give the Blazers a chance to draft a player who has the potential to be a two-way star.

Offensively, while he has yet to prove that he can be a consistent three-point shooter, he is impressive at attacking the rim off the dribble and scoring in transition. Defensively, at 6'8 and with impressive athleticism, he often forces turnovers by jumping passing lanes or stripping his defensive assignment. That can often lead to fast breaks and easy baskets. If he pans out, then he could be a star.