Admiral Schofield is exactly the type of player that the Portland Trail Blazers need. He is an elite perimeter defender who can shoot the basketball and contribute from day one.
Schofield is shooting 41.5% from three this season. In fact, he has raised his three-point percentage and scoring average every season that he has been at Tennessee. He moves well without the basketball and hustles on every play.
Despite his steady offensive progression, Schofield’s value comes from his defense. He plays with toughness and could be the physical defensive presence that Blazers need. He is also a fantastic rebounder despite his 6′ 6″ height averaging 6.1 rebounds per game.
You cannot teach energy, and Schofield plays with it every night.
Schofield was our selection for the Blazers in our previous mock draft and I mentioned that it might be a reach relative to Schofield’s draft stock. However, his stock has finally caught up to his ability. The Blazers would be fortunate to land him at 25th overall.
The Blazers have needed to upgrade the wing position for a while, and they were able to do that at the trade deadline by acquiring Rodney Hood from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Nevertheless, Hood, Jake Layman, and Al-Farouq Aminu are all set to become free agents this summer.
This is an ideal outcome for the Blazers. Schofield could immediately become part of the rotation and an upgrade defensively.