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Trail Blazers: Breaking down a decade of draft history

By Ryan Gaskin

NEWARK, NJ - JUNE 28: Damian Lillard shakes hands with NBA Commissioner David Stern after being selected number six overall by the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2012 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center on June 28, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - JUNE 28: Damian Lillard shakes hands with NBA Commissioner David Stern after being selected number six overall by the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2012 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center on June 28, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /

2016

Picks

(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

SF. Maryland. Jake Layman. 47. player. Scouting Report. Highlights. 34

For the second time in three years, Portland entered the draft with zero picks at hand. This was down to the 2015 when the Blazers sent Will Barton to the Nuggets, with Alonzo Gee and Arron Afflalo joining Portland.

However, Neil Olshey was aggressive this time around, actively pursuing a trade for a first round pick. He didn’t manage that, but he did manage a second-rounder, Jake Layman out of Maryland, in exchange for $1.2 million and a future second round pick.

Layman played three years in Portland, and man was he fun. Incredibly streaky, sure, but we saw the upside of this plenty of times, especially last season. Layman was part of an exciting bench along with Seth Curry, Evan Turner, Rodney Hood and Zach Collins (amongst others), and provided a terrific energy and spark.

It started to feel weird last year if we didn’t see a Layman alley-oop, the guys athleticism was off the charts. Layman was an élite backdoor cutter, and in Dame, Nurkic and Turner, Portland had the guys to find him on these cuts.

Along with this, Layman had nights where he looked like a genuine reincarnation of Klay Thompson, I’m talking lights out. He had multiple quarters scoring 18+ (included in highlights video above), and became a really fun aspect of the 18/19 regular season.

However, Layman’s time in Portland came to an end in 2019, as he was snapped up by the Minnesota Timberwolves in a sign and trade. In recent years, Portland have been trying to trim the roster cost, and Layman was another guy they could not afford to keep around.

However, Layman has had a similar impact in Minnesota, and is currently averaging a career high 10.5 points.

What If’s?

There were some fun ones in 2016, that’s for sure. The Blazers made a poor trade the year before and were without a pick, stripping them of the chance to snag a real value player late in the draft here.

The Nuggets ended up with the 19th pick following the 2015 trade, and used it in selecting Malik Beasley, who has shown signs of a promising player. Just one spot down at No. 20 was Caris LeVert, who I think is already a terrific player.

But a few picks further down is where it starts to get really fun. At No. 27, NBA champion and pending All-Star, Pascal Siakam. A HUGE what if for the Blazers. There’s talented forwards deep in every draft it seems, the Blazers just haven’t struck gold in the last few years.

Malcolm Brogdon was also available at No. 36 in 2016, a player who could have created an intriguing three-guard lineup for the Blazers.