Portland Trail Blazers: 3 reasons to be excited about second-round pick CJ Elleby
With the No. 46 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers snagged scoring-machine CJ Elleby. Here are a few things that should get you excited about the former Washington State Cougar.
Former Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez would have been awfully proud of the Portland Trail Blazers and the Northwest-style curveball they threw during last night’s 2020 NBA Draft. After leaving behind a trail that suggested they were poised to snag JUCO standout Jay Scrubb with the No. 46 selection, the Blazers instead opted for Washington State scoring machine CJ Elleby.
Selecting the 6-foot-6 sophomore follows a long-continued trend that one should have come to expect with Neil Olshey and the Blazers’ front office; Elleby wasn’t a regular on most Draft boards, even those that rolled into the second round.
But, Elleby personally referred to himself and fellow Pacific Northwest prospects as “hidden gems.” Thinking about Portland’s track record with developing talent out on the wing, that’s reasonable. All CJ Elleby has to do is follow the train, learn from the talent surrounding him, and he should carve out a role.
By now, you’ve probably at least uncovered the basics. Elleby poured on 18.4 points per game last season for Washington State, a number that absolutely played into him being the first Cougar drafted 2011, when a smooth-shooting guard of similar build by the name of Klay Thompson burst onto the scene.
In the process, he pushed the Cougars to their first non-losing season since 2011-12.
Continuing with baseball terminology, it’s far too early into the process to say that Elleby will be a home run selection for the Portland Trail Blazers. But, he does add potential offensive dimension to a Blazers second unit that hasn’t ranked among the top-half in bench points per game since 2011-12.
If history tells us anything, Elleby is probably primed for a “redshirt” type season where he doesn’t do much in Year One, given Portland’s wing depth. But, there remains tons to be excited about. Here are three reasons in particular.