NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. Portland Trail Blazers.
Neil Olshey, Portland Trail Blazers General Manager.
Through the NBA draft in November, Pacific Northwest Sports will compile data from various mock drafts. Rather than our readers chase across the internet for information about who the Portland Trail Blazers pick, we bring you the consensus.
For edition 1.0, we used 24 mock drafts. NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, USA Today, and The Athletic were among the sites 23 sites we audited for Edition 1.0. The sources may change a bit from article to article, but they are credible.
Due to COVID-19, the 2019–20 NBA Season was unlike anything else in league history. Before the pandemic induced break, the Portland Trail Blazers played through a staggering amount of key injuries. For most of the season, the Blazers played without Jusuf Nurkic, Zach Collins, and Rodney Hood.
The dynamic-duo backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum kept Portland in playoff contention. They had help from center Hassan Whiteside and mid-season signee Carmelo Anthony. The Blazers had a 28-37 record when the NBA suspended the season.
When play resumed in Orlando, both Nurkic and Collins were back with the team. Their return proved that the Blazers’ 53-win 2018–19 season wasn’t a fluke. At full strength, (or close to it) Portland is a formidable team. Dame Time was on full display, to dispel any doubters that it actually existed.
Portland entered Orlando in ninth place in the West, three-and-a-half games behind Memphis. They claimed the eighth and final playoff spot with their strong 6–2 performance.
Ultimately the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers proved to be too much and eliminated the upstart Blazers from the postseason.
To reach the next level the Trail Blazers need more help. Both Anthony and Whiteside are pending free agents. Melo said Portland felt like home and wants to come back. It’s unlikely Whiteside will return.
With Nurkic and Collins on the team and healthy, he is a high-profile bench player. The Blazers won’t pay $27M for a substitute, nor should they. Whiteside, for his part, won’t play for the same or less money after leading the league in blocks and finishing second in rebounds.
Both Mario Hezonja and Caleb Swanigan are also pending UFAs. Neither is close to a starter, but someone has to play those minutes off the bench. An already thin frontcourt is about to get thinner.
Additionally, 34-year-old small forward Trevor Ariza, who opted out of the restart for personal reasons, has a reasonable $1.8M buyout of his $12M contract. With Hood coming back from an Achilles tear, an additional outside shooter would be a nice addition as well.
The draft is currently scheduled for October 16. Recent comments from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, point to that date moving back to accommodate a revised Collective Bargaining Agreement and updated 2020–21 schedule.
Between now and draft day there will be plenty of signings, extensions, buyouts, and trades. That’s why the mock drafts will be somewhat fluid going forward.
Precious Achiuwa, Memphis Tigers.
To show how much opinions vary, of all the mock drafts we audited, nine different players are projected to go the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. Despite that division, some favorites have emerged as front runners. Here is the breakdown.
Not to take anything away from either Maxey or Green, but the Blazers don’t need to take a guard in the first round. Dame and C.J. are one of the best backcourt tandems in the league. Anfernee Simons is an up and comer and can make things happen when he has the ball. Gary Trent Jr. played terrific 3-and-D in the bubble. He was often the first man off the bench for coach Terry Stotts.
So that leaves Bey and Achiuwa. There is no guarantee that either will be available when the Trail Blazers are on the clock. I believe one of them will.
If by some quirk of fate both men are, Portland GM Neil Olshey will have to decide whether he wants an inside player or a perimeter player. In terms of point production, Bey had a slightly better scoring average, 16.1 to 15.8 points per game.
Bey is by far the better shooter. At Villanova last season he nailed 45.1 percent of his shots from behind the three-point line. Additionally, he is an excellent defender. Bey may not get many boards, but he can keep his man off the glass in addition to playing him tightly.
“Villanova wing Saddiq Bey is the most underrated prospect in the 2020 NBA Draft class.” – Rob Dauseter, NBC Sports.
Achiuwa on the other hand is a top rebounder. He averaged 10.8 rebounds per game. It’s not that Achiuwa can’t shoot threes, he made 32.5 percent last year, it’s that he only took 40 long-distance shots. The Bronx, NY native prefers to create his opportunities closer to the rim.
If Bey is an excellent defender, Achiuwa has the potential to be elite. Memphis had one of the best defenses in the country last year and Achiuwa was their anchor. His strength and phenomenal athleticism, not to mention 7-1 wingspan, makes him a nightmare for whoever he guards.
Others receiving votes: Patrick Williams – 6-8, F, Florida State, freshman (2); Aaron Nesmith – F, Vanderbilt, sophomore; Aleksej Pokusevski – 7-0, F/C, Serbia; RJ Hampton – 6-5, G, New Zealand Breakers; and Theo Maledon – 6-5, PG, France.
Isaiah Joe, Arkansas Razorbacks.
Of the 23 mock drafts, we used, just nine go into the second round. Different drafters have their own sources and opinions, but plenty can happen in the 30 picks between the Portland’s first and second selections. Trying to figure that out means a consensus is hard to find. Two players came up twice, Grant Riller – 6-3, G, Charleston, senior; and Isaiah Joe – 6-5, G, Arkansas, sophomore.
Others receiving votes include Mason Jones – 6-5, G, Arkansas, sophomore; Payton Pritchard – 6-2, G, Oregon, senior; Tre Jones – 6-3, PG, Duke, freshman; Mimadi Diakite – 6-9, F/C, Virginia; and Killian Tillie – 6-10, F/C, Gonzaga, senior.
Again with how deep Portland Trail Blazers are in the backcourt, it’s hard to believe they draft another guard. Sometimes a team takes the highest player they have on their draft board, regardless of position.
Riller is the small college darling of the draft. A bonafide scorer, he averaged 21.9 points in both his junior and senior seasons.
The interesting player mentioned here is Tillie. He was outstanding when he could get on the court. Unfortunately, frequent injury issues derailed an otherwise great college career. Tillie is highly skilled and can also shoot the three-ball.
One of the things he does very well is, execute the pick and roll. After coming off the pick, he can either slash to the rim or remain outside and bury a three-point shot. The Portland Trail Blazers are a pick and roll team with Lillard. Tillie could add a little extra with his versatility.
Depending on who is available and when it isn’t hard to see scenarios where Portland Trail Blazers either trade up or trade out of round two.
We will be back in mid-September with our next mock draft compilation.