Rip City Project Roundtable: Evaluating the Portland Trail Blazers 2019 Offseason

Sneaky good draft day

Armed with just the No. 25 overall selection in this draft, Neil Olshey was limited in his options on draft day. Instead of trading up, down, or for a proven veteran, Portland held onto the pick and took Nassir Little out of North Carolina. Was this the right decision to make?

Brown: Yes, Nassir Little was a projected top ten pick prior to his freshman season at the University of North Carolina but didn’t excel like expected. Although he struggled at times at the college level, he still is seeping with potential. He is only 19-years-old and is loaded with athleticism. The Blazers are weak at the small forward and Nassir Little will hopefully be ready to contribute at that position.

Carroll: If the Blazers were serious about going 100 percent all-in on this season, trading the pick for a veteran might have made a good deal of sense. However, the Blazers simply don’t have the roster to be making those type of moves and that strategy isn’t at all sustainable in the long run. Picking up the player with the highest potential ceiling and letting him learn the ropes behind one of the NBA’s best teams seems like a smart strategy to me.

West: He’s who I would’ve taken in that spot. He has upside and plays a position they need to cultivate talent at. He was a projected lottery pick since before he was even a freshman, that type of talent is worth taking a shot on with the No. 25 pick. There’s no one else who was drafted after him that particularly stands out as a missed opportunity either.