The all-important NBA Draft Lottery is officially one week away. That means we’re just one week away from knowing what pick the Portland Trail Blazers will own for this June’s NBA Draft.
With the heart of draft season getting closer, it’s high time for another Trail Blazers-centered NBA mock draft round-up from the sports media world.
About a month ago, we posted one that sampled sites like The Ringer, The Athletic and others. The round-up had the Blazers selecting a wide range of prospects at their projected spot toward the backend of the draft lottery. Many of those sites have since updated their mock drafts. Once again, the sampling has the Blazers selecting a wide range of players, including some new names that weren’t mentioned last month.
Let’s take a look.
Yahoo Sports: No. 10, Collin Murray-Boyles, F, South Carolina
In a mock draft updated on April 30, Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor has the Blazers doubling down on their new defensive identity by selecting 6-foot-7 sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles from South Carolina.
The Trail Blazers made amazing progress this season across the board, and following the All-Star Break they had a top-five defensive rating. Murray-Boyles would serve as a double down on that identity since he operates like a defensive savant the way he locks down every position, uses his ninja-quick hands to swipe at the ball and inhales rebounds. He’s a special defensive presence, and offensively he’s a bulldozer finisher with a playmaking feel. Improving his jumper would move him out of tweener territory and into All-Star status.
SB Nation: No. 10, Collin Murray-Boyles, F, South Carolina
In the only overlap of this mock draft round-up, Ricky O’Donnell at our SB Nation mothership also has the Blazers drafting Murray-Boyles with the No. 10 pick. In 32 games this past season with the Gamecocks, Murray-Boyles averaged 16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks while shooting 58.6% from the field and 26.5% on 3s.
Murray-Boyles has a case as the best defensive prospect in the class as a strong-and-long 6’7 big man with sharp hands and tremendous instincts. Murray-Boyles can hold up in the post with a low center of gravity, and he can contest shots with his 7’2 wingspan. He brings a level of IQ and physicality that is hard to find on both ends of the floor. Murray-Boyles’ offense is a bigger question mark without a reliable jump shot yet, but he’s a really good short-roll passer and an opportunistic contributor on cuts and offensive rebounds. The Blazers ideally want some shooting with this pick, but Murray-Boyles could help them form a tough defensive identity alongside Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan.
The Ringer: No. 10, Kasparas Jakucionis, G, Illinois
In a mock draft updated on April 30, The Ringer’s J. Kyle Mann has the Blazers going for Illinois 6-foot-6 freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis at No. 10. Mann described Jakucionis’ playmaking and versatility as a complementary fit for the Blazers.
Seeing the incredible size and athleticism of the Blazers at eye level in Portland at the end of the season brought a question to my mind: Is the gap between this group and teams like Houston and Orlando as big as we think? They’re troubled by similar spacing and creation questions, but they also have tremendous defensive upside all over the court. Jakucionis is the second-best playmaking ball-screen maestro in the draft (behind Egor Demin), and with the backcourt in PDX crowded for the time being, he can take on what he can efficiently handle and steadily grow from there. He’s the kind of multiuse tool that can support any of the Blazers’ guard scorers, and he also has the physical build to add defensive versatility without being a liability.
The Athletic: No. 3, Tre Johnson, G, Texas
Maybe the most exciting part about The Athletic’s mock draft from May 1 (subscription required) is that Sam Vecenie has the Blazers picking at No. 3. That’s because Vecenie simulated the draft lottery for the exercise, and it vaulted the Blazers up seven spots (if only…). Vecenie then forecasted the Blazers will use the unexpectedly high pick to improve their shooting with 6-foot-6 freshman guard Tre Johnson from Texas.
Johnson was the most impressive player I saw working out during my trip to the U.S. He had one of the best shooting workouts I’ve ever seen from a teenage player, showcasing a serious-minded intentionality about how he goes about his craft. He displayed the ability to hit shots off movement at a high level, something that he rarely got the chance to do in an offensive scheme at Texas that could be charitably described as anachronistic but fairly described as hideously archaic. Even within that scheme, Johnson found his way into 19.9 points per game, even if he struggled a bit once he had to foray into the lane because of the team’s lack of spacing and his own still-improving overall strength level.
The Blazers, in my opinion, have a tremendous frontcourt of the future with Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan. However, there are questions in the backcourt surrounding young players Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson, and they could use another real floor-spacer to knock down shots and threaten defenders. I see Johnson’s range as somewhere in the No. 3 to No. 8 area. I’d be surprised if he got outside of that area of the draft. This is just too good a fit to pass up.
Bleacher Report: No. 10, Carter Bryant, SF, Arizona
In a mock draft from April 30, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley sent Arizona 6-foot-8 freshman forward Carter Bryant to the Blazers with the No. 10 pick. Buckley doesn’t see huge star potential from Bryant, but he sees a solid 3-and-D wing.
If the Blazers aren’t worried about team fit—and since they’re still in their post-Damian Lillard rebuild, they might not be—they could spend this pick on one of the centers typically mocked ahead of Bryant.
But given their glut of bigs just limited last year’s No. 7 pick to only 19.8 minutes per game, they might prefer to avoid spending another top-10 pick on a center.
Instead, they could fortify their wings with Bryant, a defensive playmaker who can capitalize on the offensive chances created for him behind the arc or at the rim. He is more of a budding role player than a future star, but impact three-and-D wings might be the most coveted role players around.
Blazer’s Edge readers and amateur draft gurus, what do you make of these prospects? How do you see their potential fit in Portland? Who do you want the Blazers to select with their lottery pick this summer? Let us know in the comments below!
