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.
