The first round of the NBA draft will take place Wednesday night and the Portland Trail Blazers - barring a trade - will become the center of the NBA universe when they’re on the clock for pick No. 11.
The Portland Trail Blazers will become the center of the NBA universe Wednesday night when they go on the clock for pick No. 11 of the NBA draft, barring a trade.
Who they could target is a mystery. The Blazers worked out several players who could fall into that range.
They include: BYU guard Egor Demin; Maryland forwardDerik Queen; Michigan State guard Jase Richardson; Georgia forward Asa Newell; Connecticut forward Liam McNeeley; Illinois forward Will Riley, Saint Joseph’s forward Rasheer Fleming and French forward Noah Pende.
The mock draft mill has been all over the map to date regarding who the Blazers could select.
Here is a roundup of where many of the most prominent mock drafts stand regarding the Blazers with the draft just days away:
Site: CBSSports.com (Kyle Boone).
Egor Demin | BYU | 6-8 | Point Guard | 19
Statistics:The Blazers worked out Demin on June 11. He averaged 10.6 points and 5.5 assists with 3.9 rebounds, shooting 41.2% from the field and 27.3% from long distance.
Quick analysis: Demin has good court vision, basketball smarts and deft passing skills. At 6-8, he can present problems for opposing point guards with his ability to get to the basket and score. His lack of elite athleticism could become an issue on defense. Also, his three-point shooting needs work.
Team fit: Adding another project at point guard behind Scoot Henderson wouldn’t seem wise in the short term. But Demin could blossom in the future.
Boone says: “A potential shakeup for Portland’s backcourt may give its brass reason to invest in a playmaker of Demin’s caliber at No. 11.”
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Site: ESPN.com.
Kasparas Jakucionis | Illinois | 6-6 | Point Guard/Shooting Guard | 18
Statistics: Jakucionis, who has yet to work out for the Blazers, averaged 15 points and 4.7 assists, shooting 44% from the field and 31.8% from beyond the arc last season.
Quick analysis: Jakucionis creates shots for himself and others while using his size to his advantage. His outside shooting, similar to most young players in this draft, needs work. Like with Demin, Jakucionis’ lack of ideal athleticism is a negative that could expose him on defense.
Team fit: The same concerns exist as with Demin. Do the Blazers need a teenager at point guard behind Scoot Henderson, 21, if Anfernee Simons is moved? If Simons remains, Demin and/or Jakucionis would become the third-team point guard.
ESPN says: “Jakucionis’ unselfish style and ability to enhance ball movement would help Portland’s backcourt mix, with players such as Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons all more scoring-oriented. He could feasibly slide into multi-playmaker lineups alongside the other guards in a more connective role.”
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Site: BleacherReport.com, NBA.com consensus and USAToday.
Carter Bryant | Arizona | 6-8 | Forward | 19
Statistics: Bryant appeared in 37 games with five starts, averaging 6.5 points and 4.1 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game. He shot 46% from the field and 37.1% from long distance (39 of 105).
Quick analysis: Bryant flashed scoring ability from all over the court but his greatest superpower at this point is his defensive versatility. Think Toumani Camara 2.0 with a better jump shot at his age.
Team fit: Bryant has tremendous upside and could be worth stashing on the roster and playing 10 minutes per game as Camara’s backup. The Blazers will be forced to search for forward depth should they trade Jerami Grant.
Bleacher Report says: “Teams are expecting someone in the late lottery to target Carter Bryant. He’s become a hot name during the predraft process, while his size, shotmaking and defense create a coveted archetype.”
NBA.com says: “The defense is there, but low usage leaves many questions about his offensive profile.”
USA Today says: “The athletic forward provides a solid combination of strength and fluidity. He has lateral quickness to stay in front of the ball and the ability to block shots. He can still improve on his technique as a finisher and in scoring efficiency.”
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Site: SBNation.com.
Jase Richardson | Michigan State | 6-0 | Guard | 19
Statistics: Richardson, who worked out for the Blazers on May 30, started 15 games in 36 appearances for the Spartans, averaging 12.1 points and 1.9 assists in 25.3 minutes per game. He shot 49.3% from the field and 41.2% from three-point range.
Quick analysis: The son of former NBA star Jason Richardson is one of the best shooters in the draft and could excel as a combo guard off the bench behind Henderson and/or Simons. He has demonstrated strong court smarts but lacks ideal explosion and will undoubtedly be targeted on defense.
Team fit: While Demin and Jakucionis are intriguing point guard options because of their size, adding a small guard would make little sense at all, even if the Blazers trade Simons.
SB Nation says: “The freshman guard measured at 6-foot at the combine, but his 6’6 wingspan does give him solid length. It will be interesting to see if Richardson can scale up after a low-usage role in college, but even if he can’t, his skill set still feels like a good fit for a Blazers team that needs shooting and connective passing.”
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Site: Sports.Yahoo.com.
Liam McNeeley | Connecticut | 6-7 | Small Forward | 19
Statistics: McNeeley shot 38.1% from the field and 31.7% from long distance while averaging 14.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
Quick analysis: Has room to grow as a shooter, but moves well without the ball to get open and finishes well at the rim. His size plays well on defense despite being a marginal athlete.
Team fit: The Blazers would be much better served taking a flier on a young player with huge upside, and McNeeley doesn’t project as such a player, especially after failing to excel as a shooter last season. However, many analysts seem to believe that McNeeley’s shooting will come around.
Yahoo Sports says: “The Trail Blazers could be targeting a shooter with this pick after ranking 24th in 3-point percentage and in the middle of the pack in attempts last season. McNeeley is a sharpshooting wing with superb instincts moving without the ball and the touch to splash from deep ranges.”
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Site: The Ringer.com.
Donny Wolf | Michigan | 6-10 | Forward | 21
Statistics: A transfer from Yale, Wolf started all 37 games as a junior last season. He shot 49.7% from the field, averaging 13.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. He shot 33.6% from beyond the arc.
Quick analysis: A playmaking big with versatile scoring chops propelled by nice touch around the basket and the ability to stick the mid-range jumper. Brings a big body that eats up space while he snatches rebounds.
Team fit: The Blazers selected 7-2 center Donovan Clingan at No. 7 last year. Most mock drafts have Wolf going much later in the draft. He could be versatile enough offensively to play power forward alongside Clingan. But that position belongs to Deni Avdija.
The Ringer says: ”He’s just as savvy at accessing every part of the floor with his passing ability (as Maryland’s Derik Queen), his shooting upside is better at this point, and he’s also bigger. This is an athletic and young roster, but they’re playing like a team with an offensive superstar despite not actually having one: 41.3 percent of their made field goals last season were unassisted, the third-highest mark in the league. Wolf could help alleviate some of that pressure."
-- Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook)