2024 NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Hawks court chaos, Spurs speed up rebuild, Lakers surprise
By Cal Durrett
14) Portland Trail Blazers-Jared McCain
The Portland Trail Blazers will have a second lottery pick and they could use the 14th pick to address one of their biggest issues: their 3-point shooting. The Blazers were last in the league in 3-point shooting and while taking Donovan Clingan might not help them in that department, Jared McCain can. Taking another guard when they already have Scoot Henderson, Malcolm Brogdon, Anfernee Simons, and Shaedon Sharpe may not make a lot of sense.
However, the Blazers could move on from Simon's and Sharp this summer and McCain may be too good of an offensive player to pass up with the 14th pick in the draft. McCain is a terrific shooter, hitting 52.1% of his twos and 41.4% of his threes en route to 14.3 points per game for Duke.
Not only that but he can drain shots off the dribble as well as shoot off screens and, of course, spot-ups. Putting him alongside Henderson could eventually make for a deadly pairing, with McCain able to help Portland's spacing by providing a reliable perimeter scoring option.
Defensively, McCain is able to force turnovers, including by stripping players when providing help. With Clingan patrolling the paint, Portland should be better on that end, while McCain can also help them on offense.