NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum. NBA Draft Lottery.
The 2023 NBA Finals just ended. Unfortunately, the Portland Trail Blazers season has been over for some time. 2023-24 has already started in the team’s executive offices. Their next big event is the NBA Draft on June 22.
Pacific Northwest Sports has been monitoring the top mock draft. We did all the background work so our readers won’t have to search all over the web to determine who the Portland Trail Blazers will select.
We audited 44 different mock drafts this time around. Twenty of them went through all 60 picks. The sources we use for the mocks may vary from edition to edition, but they are all credible. This time we included ESPN, USA Today, CBS Sports, The Athletic, and more. As Draft Day gets closer, we will increase the number of mock drafts we use.
As a result of the NBA Draft Lottery, the Portland Trail Blazers pick 3rd overall. For now, they own a second first round pick, 23rd overall, acquired from New York in the Josh Hart trade. Additionally, they have a second round pick, which is 43rd overall.
For the Blazers to turn around their recent run of poor seasons and climb back to the top of the Western Conference, it’s essential for General Manager Joe Cronin to get this right. Either with the pick or trading it away,
Last year, Portland selected Shaedon Sharpe sixth overall and Jabari Walker 57th. Both look to have a future with the team. Sharpe is a budding star.
Power Forward
This has been a position of need for many years. When was the last time Portland had someone physically dominant inside who could defend AND get rebounds? It’s been quite a while. Nassir Little could be that guy, but he’s still developing.
Center
How pressing the Portland Trail Blazers’ need for a center depends on whether management finally realized that for two years, they had no size. Jusuf Nurkic is the only Blazer over 6-9. Trendon Watford and Drew Eubanks do solid work, but they are overmatched.
Nurk needs a solid backup. And with his injury history, that backup will get plenty of playing time.
Scoring Forward
The Portland Trail Blazers’ offense revolves around Damian Lillard. For years he had CJ McCollum as his backcourt mate and scoring partner. McCollum is gone, but his replacement Anfernee Simons can also light it up.
Being so backcourt-centric hasn’t led to an NBA Championship appearance yet. That’s why Cronin traded for Jerami Grant. Opinions are mixed on Grant, and he is a free agent.
In the Dame era, the offense worked best when there was a third option to shoot from mid-to-three-point range. It would be nice if they could spread out the scoring a little bit next season.
Dame wants to win now, and he said he doesn’t have time to wait on another player to develop. There is plenty of buzz about the Portland Trail Blazers trading the pick.
If they keep it, a potential superstar will make his way to Rip City. 7-5 center Victor Wembanyama is the sure-fire first pick, but this draft features three franchise players. Forward Brandon Miller from Alabama and Scoot Henderson of the G-League ignite a considered among the best draft-eligible players available over the past several years.
The ”tide” has shifted back and forth over the last month and currently leans toward Henderson. But Miller is gaining support. The mock draft breakdown is:
Henderson – 56.82%
Miller – 36.36%
Other – 6.82%
Charlotte picks number two, and Miller is a better fit for their lineup. It’s not guaranteed that he will go to the Hornets or they even keep the pick.
The 6-9 power forward is a prolific scorer and shooter. He can also handle himself on the glass and is a good defender. He sometimes struggles with consistency but not for long periods. And his off-court history raises a few flags.
If Miller goes second, Henderson is far more than the Portland Trail Blazers’ consolation prize. He has elite physical tools and the work ethic to improve.
In the G-League, he took over games with his explosiveness and mid-range jump shot. Henderson is far from a finished product and has plenty of room for improvement. The 17% he shot from three-point range for the Ignite last season won’t cut it as a guard at the NBA level.
This is another pick the Portland Trail Blazers might not keep. They still owe Detroit a first rounder from a prior trade.
The Pistons should take it because the Blazers should be vastly improved next year, and the pick should be within a few spots of what it is now. Also, Cronin is motivated to move it so he can free up future first round picks to use in trades.
If the Portland Trail Blazers keep the pick, some attractive options should be available. Leading the way in mock drafts is 6-8 forward Kris Murray (Keegan’s twin brother), with seven selections.
The former Iowa Hawkeyes star doesn’t put up numbers like his brother does. However, Kris is versatile and can fit into a variety of roles. He makes smart decisions on the floor and provides good length on the defensive perimeter.
Right behind Murray are two players with six selections each, a 6-10 center from Alabama, Noah Clowney, and Jett Howard (Juwan’s son), a 6-7 wing from Michigan.
If Clowney is there, and Portland has the pick, they shouldn’t pass on Clowney. He’s got size at 6-10, isn’t afraid to shoot from outside (3.3 attempts per game last year), and plays defense.
At only 18 years old, Clowney still has room to grow. Portland Trail Blazers fans will love his hustle.
Also receiving multiple selections are Brice Sensabaugh, 6-6, forward, Ohio State (4); Rayan Rupert, 6-7. guard, New Zealand Breakers (4); James Nnaji, 6-11, center, Barcelona (3); Dariq Whitehead, 6-6, forward, Duke (2); and Leonard Miller, 6-10, forward, G-League Ignite (2). Watch out for Leonard Miller; he may be the biggest sleeper in this draft class.
The following players had one selection each: Kobe Bufkin, 6-4, guard, Michigan; Maxwell Lewis, 6-7, W, Pepperdine; Sidy Cissoko, 6-8, forward, G-League Ignite; Jaime Jacquez, 6-6, SF, UCLA; Colby Jones, 6-5, guard, Xavier; Ben Sheppard, 6-6, guard, Belmont; Bilal Coulibaly, G/F, Metropolitans 92; and Trayce Jackson-Davis, 6-8, forward, Indiana.
We audited 20 mock drafts that went both rounds. There are plenty of variables out there that make selecting a player at this point difficult.
At this point in the draft, it’s usually hard to find much agreement on anyone but four mocks, but four mock drafts had the Portland Trail Blazers taking Keyontae Johnson, a 6-4 guard from Kansas State.
Johnson possesses a reliable 3-point stroke and increased foul-drawing prowess. Johnson connected on 38.9% of his 3-point attempts across parts of four collegiate seasons. His 4.2 free-throw attempts per game this season marked a career best. Johnson moves well without the ball but will also pressure the rim and outmuscle opponents. His physicality is effective on defense too, as opponents shot just 32.6% from the field with Johnson as the primary defender this season.
– Sports Illustrated Draft Digest
There is one big flag with Johnson. He missed almost two full seasons due to myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart. The good news is Johnson was medically cleared to play last season and was also cleared to participate in the daft.
Three prospects had two selections each: Jalen Wilson, F, 6-7, Kansas; Jordan Walsh, 6-7, W, Arkansas; and Kobe Brown, 6-8, PF/C, Missouri.
Other players projected to the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round: Adama Sanogo, 6-9 F/C, Uconn; Colin Castleton, 6-11, center, Florida; James Nnaji, 6-11, C Barcelona; Julian Strawther, 6-7, W, Gonzaga, Marcus Sasser, 6-1, G Houston; Nikola Durisic,6-8. G/F Mega Basket; Rayan Rupert, 6-7, guard, New Zealand Breakers; Seth Lundy, 6-6, F, Penn State; Terquavion Smith, 6-4, guard, NC State, and Tristan Vukcevic, center, KK Partizan.
Who do you think the Portland Trail Blazers will draft this year?