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Portland Trail Blazers: 3 best fits at the top of the 2021 NBA Draft

By Andy Quach

Scottie Barnes, Michael Devoe, Florida State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Portland Trail Blazers, 2021 NBA Draft (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Scottie Barnes, Michael Devoe, Florida State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Portland Trail Blazers, 2021 NBA Draft (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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Franz Wagner, Jules Bernard, University of Michigan, University of California Los Angeles
Franz Wagner, Jules Bernard, University of Michigan, University of California Los Angeles (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Franz Wagner would be a perfect fit in the Portland Trail Blazers front court

Franz Wagner out of Michigan is a versatile forward that’s expected to land anywhere in the second half of the lottery, depending on who you ask.

At 6’9, 220-lbs, he’s NBA ready to guard most power forwards in the league. For the Wolverines, he showcased an advanced IQ on defense and complementary skills on offense that would make him a fit on virtually any roster.

While he’s an underwhelming athlete at his position, Wagner makes up for his lack of physicals with his mental aptitude. He’s almost never in the wrong place at the wrong time, plays solid defense without fouling, and can make predictive reads to beat offenses to their spots.

The Blazers are sorely lacking a reliable defensive big and Wagner would provide just that from day one.

On offense, he’s the perfect prospect to slide into a system and grow as he goes. As a rookie, he’ll be asked to play to his strengths and address his weaknesses in practice and blowouts. Wagner projects to be a solid 3-point shooter in the NBA. In his sophomore season at Michigan, he shot 34 percent from deep on nearly four attempts per game.

He’s also a vastly underrated playmaker at his position. He tallied 3 assists per game, mostly operating inside the paint and from the elbows for the Wolverines.

Watch as he uses the screen to probe Purdue’s defense here. He uses his back to seal off the trailing defender and patiently waits for his cutter to find the window, then hits him with a dime. Some NBA point guards aren’t that polished yet.

For the Blazers, he’ll receive plenty of wide-open looks from deep and have plenty of opportunities to tally up assists passing to Dame, Norman Powell, and the rest of the Blazers snipers.

His lack of athleticism and shorter ceiling are the reasons why he’ll fall out of the top-five, but if the Blazers can land him and some other strong supporting pieces in a trade for CJ, they could be better off than running it back.