Portland Trail Blazers: 5 best free agents to target at small forward

Portland Trail Blazers small forward target #4 James Ennis

Journeyman small forward James Ennis is a glue guy, and the type of player you want on teams who are trying to make deep playoff runs.

Ennis is 31, but at his peak as a role player. Though his stats don’t show anything special in terms of counting numbers, but Ennis does all the little things to help his team win.

Ennis 53 percent from two and 36 percent from three evidence his strong shooting from inside and out. Ennis is an excellent offensive rebounder and shot-blocker for his position as well.

Though he only averages 6.7 points per game over his career, his minute totals in playoff games show he is a valuable role player. He has played a minimum of 21 minutes per game in all three of the playoff runs he has been a part of.

As he is six-foot-six with a big six-foot-eleven wingspan, he can guard twos and threes and sometimes some fours as well. Ennis is probably a minimum player, but he will provide great value for money for a playoff team.

Portland Trail Blazers small forward target #5 Justin Jackson

26-year-old forward Justin Jackson is a defensive stopper, whose three-point shot is still a work in progress. Jackson was drafted in 2017 as a 22-year-old out of UNC and has bounced around a few teams on his rookie deal.

Interestingly, the Blazers actually had the 15th pick in the 2017 draft, but traded this and the 20th pick to get Zach Collins.

As a below-par shooter, he would likely only get a minimum deal, but he isn’t a total negative on offense. Jackson is a strong finisher at the rim and an excellent passer for his position.

Because he can play both the three and the four he is a nice option next to Robert Covington.

With a big six-foot-eight frame and plus wingspan, Jackson gives great positional size to a team who only had power forwards who were six-foot-seven in 2021.

Jackson’s market is likely to be the minimum or slightly more, but he could thrive in Portland given the strong development systems in place.