Portland Trail Blazers: 3 best fits at the top of the 2021 NBA Draft
By Andy Quach
Scottie Barnes could be the missing piece in the Portland Trail Blazers starting lineup
I’ve already spent time gushing over Scottie Barnes’s elite potential as a two-way point-forward. He projects not to be a solid defender in the NBA, but an absolute elite one.
At 6’7, 225-lbs, with a 7’3 wingspan, Barnes could enter the Draymond Green-Ben Simmons-Jimmy Butler class of defenders; a lockdown artist who can guard every position and creates opportunities with his size and length.
The Portland Trail Blazers are absolutely in dire need of a versatile defender in Barnes’s mold. Even with Robert Covington on the roster, Barnes could very well give Portland their best shot at slowing down a LeBron James or Kawhi Leonard.
Even if he’s not quite ready to be tasked with that important a responsibility, he’s well-equipped to handle Covington’s assignments in the case that the two need to defend out of position.
On offense, he would be a perfect running mate for Dame and the rest of the Blazers sharpshooters. He’s already a terror in transition and his playmaking at his size would be a huge plus to Portland’s roster.
Not only can he create for himself in transition, he can grab boards, push the pace on his own, and use his gifted vision to find opportunities for others. With NBA-level talent running alongside him, he’ll likely wind up with a lot more than the 4 assists per game he averaged with the Florida State Seminoles.
Inserting Barnes into the lineup would instantly push the Blazers pace. He’d give them a true secondary playmaker behind Lillard. With his youth and spring legs, he can also facilitate for the bench unit when Dame needs a breather.
Barnes was initially thought to go in the latter half of the lottery, but thanks to believers like myself, his draft stock has skyrocketed more than any other prospects’ throughout the course of the early offseason.
Even if it costs a little more capital to acquire him now, Barnes’s elite potential is well-worth the risks.
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