Exclusive Official 2020 Draft Thread

I never watch enough college basketball to have much ofanopinion on the draft, and there just hasn't been enough college basketball lately for most to have much of an opinion. Idk, take BPA, that's usually my how I feel

 

How would people feel about Cole Anthony? From THIS it looks like a lot of people think he'll drop to our pick.

Not keen myself, from his description, but his dad did good for us.



Hyped high schooler who disappoints in one year at UNC? He really WOULD be the next Nassir Little...

 

I think he's a worse version of something we already have too much of. So no thanks. If we are in a position where we want to draft a backup PG I would wait and see where Theo Maledon falls to and if he's available close to our pick I say we do what we need to get him. He's a big PG who passes, defends, handles well and can score but is more of a facilitator. He is said to have a great attitude. If it took a future second rounder or two to get him instead of Anthony then I'd definitely do it but if Maledon weren't available and Anthony fell to us, I'd gauge if anyone else wanted to move up for Anthony and give us more assets and if not, then I'd go with the best post player available... this is if I'm Neal and I'm not planning on changing this roster too much.

 

He's sooooooo different than his dad. He just scares me as a player that I don't know will ever understand the team game.

People hate the way CJ plays. Imagine that times 10 with less results. I think that's what you're looking at with him in the rotation for at least 2 years, if he ever gets it. He's like this guy that will be electric the one game and turn the lights off on your team with bad shots the next three.

 

His defensive highlight got me drooling, if he can translate that defensive game to the nba while developing a 3 point shot like even on Harkless level I would be very happy. I bet we can get him with the second round pick. If that’s the case then we might as well get Jalen Smith in the first round. He can shoot 3s very well and block shots

 

Does ANYONE pay for ESPN+? If so, what are the players they talk about here?

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/st...raft-how-best-prospects-compare-playoff-stars

 

There are a lot of guys to like who could still be on the board at 16 and even in the second round of this draft.

It's kind of a funny draft in that there's an upper tier of about eight guys who don't have a lot of separation between them and then the next tier of 14 with little separating them from each other. Who picks them and how good they become really is going to be an eye of the beholder thing and how well they fit a system ... there are guys even projected into the late teens who I think have star potential but there's almost no one in this draft who's a sure thing.

Obi Toppin could fall to 8 or 9 and I'm not sure if 3 years from now people aren't asking why he didn't go in the top 4, but in 5 years I could see a guy like guy like Patrick Williams being picked in the low teens being talked about as the best player to come out of this draft. I'd take Edwards if I had the top pick on a generic team, but I see his upside as a slightly better Tyreke Evans, and, while that's good, it's not usually what someone thinks of in a No. 1 overall pick. Wiseman has the most upside, but he seems to me the type of player who thinks he's a 3 or 4 when he could be a dominant 5 and never comes close to reaching his potential although he'll be a very good player for years.

Here are just a couple of rough thumbnails of a couple of players I like who could end up as Blazers with minimal or no trade movement.

Precious Achiuwa -- Was the guy I wanted the Blazers to take early before I became more convinced our biggest need was a guard. High-energy, athletic player who I think most likely becomes a combo big in the mold of Montrezl Harrell, but he shows signs of developing a mid-range game off the dribble -- if he does that, his stock goes waaaaaaay up.

Patrick Williams -- I see him at Thomas Robinson with skills. Just an amazing athlete. Some of his blocked shots look like some of Robinson's. Not just bouncy, but very strong in the upper body and still very, very young. The other scary thing about how good he can be is he shows shooting range and might develop the dribble enough to be a quality 3 on offense at 6-8.

Kira Lewis -- Fastest player from end to end with the dribble in this class. Almost impossible to keep out of the paint 1-on-1, let alone with the pick-and-roll. Long arms which he uses to extend as he approaches the basket, allowing him to get the ball up on the glass against good defense much like Ja Morant can do. While he gets himself caught in the air sometimes and lacks physical strength, he already plays an NBA style game with shooting range, mid-range pull-up, use of screens, and ability to whip passes crosscourt for 3s. Very young for a guy who's played 2 years against elite competition in the SEC. There are highlights of him putting Okoro, an elite defensive prospect, in the spin cycle. I think he's a steal if he falls into the mid-teens to early-20s.

Tyrell Terry -- As crafty a dribbler as there is in this draft, he can create distance with defenders and his shot is pure; if he gets his shot off, forget it. My questions are about how long it takes him to release his shot and where he releases it, because he plays below the rim, so he might make space but by the time he releases his shot the defender might have been able to recover. Also lacks strength. If I had to guess, I think he becomes a Seth Curry-like player, but his dribble is more like CJ McCollum with the combinations he uses and the footwork (I just don't think he's as athletic as CJ, so he won't be able to maximize that skill).

Saddiq Bey -- Of the guys likely to be drafted in the teens, he's the most likely to become a solid rotation player. Fair athlete. Very strong fundamentally. Will compete. Not an elite defender, but a capable defender on 4 positions. Something about him reminds me a bit of Channing Frye. He's pretty much a finished product; I don't see him getting a lot better but he's plug and play and shouldn't kill your team with mistakes. I think he could wind up being a very good fit for someone like the Spurs because he's a super team player/role player.

Aleksej Pokusevski -- The boom-or-bust player in this draft. 7-footer with elite perimeter skills but so raw and under proven against top competition. Also extremely thin at maybe 200 pounds and doesn't have the frame to gain a ton of weight. But he has a very good shooting touch from well beyond the arc and he can shoot if off the dribble. What I think sets him apart is his dribble. He looks very coordinated and natural handling the basketball. He can bring it up court on the break or against pressure, and he's a very creative passer. I can't think of a player in the NBA analogous to what he can become. He's kind of a unicorn and a lottery ticket. The thing is, if his lack of physical strength keeps him from reaching his vast potential, he doesn't play as a role player because it's really his unique combination of skills at his size that sets him apart; if he's just a shooter, there are better players in this draft, if he's just a ballhandler, there are better in this draft. I hate to say Durant as a comparison, because the odds he ends up nearly that good is probably 1%, but his length, build, skills, they are like what Durant has, just on a lesser level.

Jalen Smith -- He's a guy who's been getting overlooked for some reason, but he's shown he can play both the finesse game and the physical game about as well as any big in this draft. I think his game in the pros translates to something like the Morris twins. He can shoot with range and battle in the paint and he's not outsized.

Josh Green -- Not mentioned a lot around here, but if the Blazers are looking for a traditionally 2 guard to bring off the bench or eventually replace CJ, I think this might be the guy. Terrific athlete who can play above the rim, shoot, defend and has a handle. Just kind of raw at this point and there's question about whether he'll put it all together, but he has the tools to be great.

Daniel Oturu -- The Minnesota center doesn't get talked about a lot, but there's a lot ot like in his game. I think if you like Kelly Olynyk, you'd like Oturu. He's 6-10, 240, shot 37% from 3 last year taking 2 3s per game, got to the line 6 times per game and shot better than 70% there, grabbed 11.3 rebounds and blocked 2.5 shots playing in a very good league.

Leandro Bolmaro -- Big (6-6) guard from Argentina. I think he's a point guard because he's a very good ballhandler and passer and his shot and scoring ability doesn't play well at the 2, IMO. Not a great athlete, but good enough to make it and contribute in the NBA because of his height and skill. He's craft with the ball and can get into the paint, and from there he makes things happen.

Grant Riller -- Small college point guard who has been linked with Portland as a second round pick in a couple of mock drafts. He is a lot like VanVleet, just a physically tough, mature, competitive, fearless guard. Good size and strength and he doesn't mind contact, in fact, he seems to seek it out. Has the tools to get into the paint and get a good shot up or to get fouled. Shot better than 36% from 3 this year and almost 83% at the line. He's not Dame or CJ, but it wouldn't surprise me to see him become a very, very effective backup point guard by his second year in the pros. The question is whether or not he's athletic enough. He didn't play as good as competition as VanVleet in college and didn't fair as well when Charleston faced better athletes.

Udoka Azubuike -- No one's talking much about the Kansas 7-footer probably because the game seems to be moving away from traditional centers and toward positionless basketball, but I'm going to mention him because I think stuff like this moves in cycles and all it takes is one coach to find a system where a dominant big can offset the downsides guarding on the perimeter by scoring at will, grabbing every rebound and contesting in the paint for him to find a place in a rotation. He's the best player on the best team in college basketball, a legit 7-0, 280 and not fat. More athletic than he gets credit for. Shot 75% from the floor FOR HIS 4-YEAR COLLEGE CAREER, averaging more than 7 FGA per game. As a senior, averaged 13.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.6 blocks ad 27.7 minutes per game. Just unstoppable when he gets the ball deep or on lobs. The only effective way to defend him if he gets the ball down low is to foul, and he's a horrendous FT shooter. Could be the next DeAndre Jordan. If there's still a place in this NBA for players like Boban and Tacko Fall, there's a place for this guy. And he almost certainly can be had for a second-round flier.

 

Great thank you i've learned a lot today

 

Oh joy.

According to AP the league is going to bump the draft back from Oct 16th to Nov 18th. This sets off a domino effect that, amongst other things, pushes free agency back a month and negates the projected start date in Dec. If they are going to cancel next season, I wish they would just man up and do it.

 

Push the start out enough to get Hoodie healthy.

 

They trying to get fans back in the seats what I going be looking at how the NFL is going to get fans in some of the seats and be successful to do it. I think there way have fans in the seats but it will be no full houses next year. But we will see.

 

Trade the pick

 

I would say olshey has look at that if player like Bey Or Williams fall to us.

 

Quick on the draft: https://theathletic.com/2058117/202...an-lillards-offense-offseason-moves-and-more/
The Blazers have the 16th overall pick in this year’s draft, and I would be stunned if Olshey trades the pick. Not saying it won’t happen if it pushes a trade over the top, but it would have to be a sweet deal for Olshey to part ways with a pick.

Olshey always harps on this: There are three tools to improving your team — the draft, trade and free agency. For a small-market team like Portland, the draft is the tool that offers the most level playing ground. Also, it provides the best way for the franchise to obtain and retain stars (see Lillard, McCollum).

The draft is also probably Olshey’s greatest strength during his eight-year tenure in Portland. He hasn’t been perfect — no executive is — but he has shown to have a sharp eye for talent, which I think goes back to his roots, when he worked out draft prospects for Arn Tellem’s agency. Five of his second-round picks (Will Barton, Allen Crabbe, Pat Connaughton, Jake Layman and Gary Trent Jr.) have become NBA rotation players, the most of any franchise during the past eight years.

As for a target of Olshey’s in this draft? Sam Vecenie, our draft guru at The Athletic, has the Blazers taking Memphis big man Precious Achiuwa, a 20-year-old, 6-foot-9 forward/center. One thing about Olshey in the draft — he mostly goes with the best talent available over positional need.

 

Killian Tillie or Elijah Hughes would be pretty cool in the 2nd round.

Malachi Flynn or Cassius Winston would be ok too, but don't think backup pg is a priority. And if it is, better to fill it through FA.

Would love Xavier Tillman, but fully expect him to go in the first. Toronto, Boston or Utah would all be great fits.

 

Any interest in Tre Jones if he falls to the second round? He’s basically like his brother but 3 inches taller and a better defender. 3ball still a work in progress but he’s definitely a true point guard and could develop into the backup point we’ve needed. I could see him developing into a Fred Van Fleet kind of player. I would consider giving up another second to trade up to get him too, but I don’t have a good gauge on his draft range. I’ve seen him as high as 24 and as low as 60.

Other posters have mentioned first round prospects I’m interested in. I don’t know the likelihood of Vassel, Bey, and Williams all drafted before our pick but I would take whoever is left of the three. My backup plan A would be Neismith and my backup plan B would be Smith.

Not sure what others see in Achiwua. He reminds me of Robert Williams, not that it’s a bad thing, but I would pursue hustle guys like that in free agency.

 

1st round targets, in order: Williams FSU, Bey Villanova, Tillman MSU, Vassell FSU, Maxey Kentucky

2nd: Joe Arkansas, Stanley Duke, Diakite Virginia, Petrusev Gonzaga

 

I really like Tre Jones game. He’s definitely one of the better point guard in this draft. If he fall to our second round pick then we should definitely get him, but he’s not quite talented enough for me to want to trade up with another second round pick for him. At our pick any of Pritchard, Winston, Isaiah joe, grant riller, or Malachi Flynn should be available in the second round if you’re looking for a backup point guard

 

My dark horse 1st round pick is Isaiah Stewart. 7'4 WS & 9' reach. Motor Motor Motor
Probably 20-26 pick.
Going to be better than Harrell.

 

No thank you on him. To me personally he’s more like the next Caleb Swanigan