Jay Scrubb, John A. Logan College.
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 the final mock consensus, we used 40 mock drafts. NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, and The Athletic were among the sites we audited this time around. 12 of them had all 60 picks.
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.
Portland entered the Orlando bubble in ninth place in the West, three-and-a-half games behind Memphis. They claimed the eighth and final playoff spot with a strong 6–2 performance. Ultimately, the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers proved to be too much and eliminated the upstart Blazers from the postseason in the first round.
That earned them the 16th overall selection in this year’s NBA Draft. On Tuesday, the Blazers traded that pick and next year’s first-rounder (lottery protected) to Houston for small forward Robert Covington. That means Portland doesn’t go on the clock until pick 46. Although this is considered a weak draft class, there could be some hidden gems in the mid-second round.
To reach the next level, the Trail Blazers need more help. Both Anthony and Whiteside are free agents. Melo said Portland felt like home and wants to come back, but that doesn’t mean he will be back. Whiteside will likely be too high priced for the Blazers to re-sign.
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.
Trevor Ariza went in the trade to acquire Covington. Shortly afterward, Rodney Hood declined his player option for $6M. Coming back from an Achilles injury and in this shaky market, he must have really been ticked off by the Covington trade.
Covington is an okay offensive player. His value comes more on the defensive end. As of now, the Portland Trail Blazers are incredibly thin in the frontcourt. Wenyen Gabriel is the only decent power player on the bench. Frankly, on a good team, he’s maybe the 11th or 12th man. Mario Herzonja is the only veteran three they have, and he’s extremely inconsistent. The Blazers are in desperate need of both a power forward and center on the bench.
Hopefully, between now and the start of the draft, Portland Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey has another move or two up his sleeve.
As mentioned earlier, of the 40 mock drafts we audited, just 12 go into the second round. Different drafters have their own sources and opinions, but plenty can happen before Portland goes on the clock. Trying to predict so deep into the draft means a consensus is hard to find. But not in this case. As a matter of fact, a third of the mock drafts are in agreement on who the Portland Trail Blazers draft at 46.
Who? From where?
Getting past the name (no team wants a scrub on their roster), Jay Scrubb may be one of the most fascinating prospects in this entire draft class, on both a personal and talent level. A recent article in Forbes magazine made Scrubb out to be the basketball version of Michael Oher from “The Blindside.”
If he does join the Trail Blazers, everyone in Rip City will know his story. For now, the fans want to know what Scrubb brings to the table as a basketball player. Tall for a guard, he is very physically gifted. Last season, Scrubb was the Nation JUCO Player of the Year for John A. Logan College in Carterville, Illinois. The big guard averaged 21.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while hitting exactly one-third of his three-point shots.
More of a scorer than a playmaker, Scrubb thrives in transition and can finish with his explosive physical ability. He’s not afraid to take the ball to the rim and draw fouls. For a team such as Portland that likes to space the floor under head coach Terry Stotts, that’s a valuable commodity. Scrubb does well on the pick and roll and is also a good on-ball defender.
He’s a streaky shooter and doesn’t exactly scream outside threat. Obviously, he is a very raw prospect at this time, or he’d be a first round pick based on talent. With one developmental guard on the roster, Anfernee Simmons, do the Portland Trail Blazers want to take on another project close to the same position?
Others receiving consideration: Skylar Mays, 6-4, G, LSU (2); Cassius Stanley, 6-6, SG, Duke; Daniel Oturu, 6-9, C, Minnesota; Devon Dotson, 6-2, PG, Kansas; Kareem Mane’, 6-5, G, Vanier College (Canada); and Leandro Balmero, 6-8, G/F, FC Barcelona Lassa.
Check back with PNWS after Wednesday night’s draft for more coverage.