Portland Trail Blazers
The Good News: LaMarcus Aldridge, Nic Batum and Wesley Matthews are still an excellent young defensive trio to build around. Dealing a half season of Gerald Wallace for the No. 6 overall pick was a massive heist and Will Barton at No. 40 overall could be a steal as well. With a lot of young talent and cap space going forward, Portland has a chance to rebuild very quickly.
The Bad News: Aldridge is the only player in the Blazers' rotation who can consistently create his own shot. That’s going to put a lot of offensive pressure on Damian Lillard, who is more likely to have an adjustment process closer to Brandon Knight than Kyrie Irving as a rookie. Lillard was the best point guard in the draft, but I don’t think he’ll be an All-Star in the NBA.
Real Talk: Lillard has gotten most of the publicity, but Meyers Leonard is the lottery pick who should excite Portland fans. There aren’t many athletic 7’1 250 centers who can shoot 78% from the free-throw line in the NBA. He’s still a long way from a finished product, but the Blazers will have the chance to develop him into a Top-5 center over the next few years.
