Portland Trail Blazers: Top Five Under 25
5) Trendon Watford (21)
First up is Trendon Watford coming in at 6’9” and 240lbs. Currently, he is the backup to Nurkic as the Blazers center. Coming out of LSU, after just two years, Watford went undrafted. His scouting report shows some intriguing traits and skills. However, he needs to refine those skills if he’s going to be an NBA rotation player.
For example, his height does not make him a traditional NBA center. The last center that was the same height and succeeded was Coach Chauncey Billups’ teammate Ben Wallace. Could Watford be this era’s Wallace? Possibly, but it will take a lot of hard work. Watford is also more of a modern face-up big man and not your classic low block, back to the basket, big. His current averages leave much to be desired.
However, using some advanced analytics, specifically his Per-36, meaning if he got 36 minutes a game, his stat line would look like. Here we can see some very appealing productivity, with a field goal percentage of .590, 9.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, just under 1.7 blocks, 0.9 steals, and 12.9 points per game. Those are some very intriguing numbers from an undersized center.
4) Greg Brown III (20)
The next “big” guy is Greg Brown III. Another forward who stands 6’9” but comes in at a wiry 205-pounds. Unlike his fellow rookie in Watford, Brown was a second-round draft pick (43rd overall) by New Orleans. Over the summer, the Portland Trail Blazers traded a 2026 second-round pick to acquire Brown.
Brown is a very raw NBA player. His best ability so far is as a versatile athletic defender. My colleague Teresa Powe (check out her amazing work) first put Brown on my radar. She watched him in summer league and was excited about his future.
Summer league production should be taken lightly as \ players who look strong in Vegas don’t pan out. However, it is a place for players to earn an opportunity. Brown appears to be a guy who might make the most of his chance and work out for the Portland Trail Blazers.
His Per-36 comes out to be .432 percent shooting from the field, 9.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.6 blocks, and 15.2 points. The ceiling for Brown might be that of a three-and-D player. However, if he can defend anyone from the shooting guard to the power forward and maybe the center, he’d be a huge weapon for the team.
This Trendon Watford/Greg Brown III duo is intriguing me. pic.twitter.com/d5swHjvqZo
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) February 17, 2022