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2019 NBA Draft: Top 10 players on the Portland Trail Blazers’ big board

By Austin Carroll

KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 6: Tennessee Volunteers forward Grant Williams (2) battles with Kentucky Wildcats forward PJ Washington (25) during a game between the Kentucky Wildcats and Tennessee Volunteers on January 6, 2018, at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN. (Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 6: Tennessee Volunteers forward Grant Williams (2) battles with Kentucky Wildcats forward PJ Washington (25) during a game between the Kentucky Wildcats and Tennessee Volunteers on January 6, 2018, at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN. (Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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PALO ALTO, CA – JANUARY 09: Stanford Cardinal forward KZ Okpala Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
PALO ALTO, CA – JANUARY 09: Stanford Cardinal forward KZ Okpala Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

7. KZ Okpala, SF from Stanford

KZ Okpala is one of those polarizing prospects that pop up in each draft due to how incredibly athletic and slick  he looks on the court, yet still very raw and undeveloped. Okpala led an inadequate Stanford roster as best he could, averaging 16.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Okpala still managed to be a big threat on the offensive end despite a defunct shooting form; perhaps an NBA shooting coach could help adjust his form to knock down his shots even more consistently. With a severe lack of quality wing depth, the Portland Trail Blazers can take a high-upside project player here and allow Okpala to develop playing against the best players in the world.

8. Darius Bazley, SF/PF from High School

From one polarizing prospect, straight to another. Darius Bazley infamously withdrew his verbal commitment to Syracuse to test the waters in the NBA’s G League… until he withdrew his commitment from that as well. For the last year, Bazley has honed his game in the privacy of his own environment. For that reason, Bazley was a huge unknown and not expected to draw much attention from teams in the first-round of the draft.

That was until the Klutch Sports Pro Day rolled around, where Bazley apparently made a strong impression according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Surrounded by some of the NBA’s elite talent and influential executives, Bazley could have left a lasting impact on a late first-round team looking to grab a high-upside player.