Portland Trail Blazers: 2022 NBA Draft Big Board – Top 10

The Portland Trail Blazers can’t wait for the season to be over and for the 2022 NBA Draft to commence. They’ve effectively shut down all players that might accidentally lead them to wins, ensuring that they’ll have the best chance at securing the top targets on their big board.

Interim General Manager Joe Cronin is likely already hard at work at constructing his list of names, but so have we. I’ve already detailed how the Blazers should rank their top-three prospects, between three exceptional prospects that figure to play power forward in the NBA in Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith, and Paolo Banchero.

As of right now, though, the Trail Blazers are slated to have two picks within the top 10 but outside of the top three. Portland may have to recapture some of that mid-lottery lightning that they struck with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.

Portland Trail Blazers 2022 NBA Draft Big Board – Top 10

Here’s how my 2022 big board looks so far:

1. Jabari Smith Jr.
2. Chet Holmgren
3. Paolo Banchero

These rankings were crafted around the idea of building a contender around Damian Lillard as quickly as possible, while also keeping one eye on the horizon for the post-Dame era. Here’s how the rest of the top-10 should round out:

4. AJ Griffin

Casual viewers and strictly college basketball fans might not understand all of the NBA hype surrounding AJ Griffin. After all, with the Duke Blue Devils, he’s mostly used as a 3-and-D wing. While that might be the most important tool on an NBA roster nowadays, a stretchy defender isn’t worth spending a top-5 pick on.

But AJ Griffin has shown in spurts that he’s capable of much more than what Coach K’s asked him to do at Duke. Not only does he have a ridiculously effective deep stroke, but he’s also built like a five-year NBA veteran, has an advanced handle, and has shown the ability to create shots for himself from all three levels.

Griffin, like Jabari Smith Jr., should be able to contribute from day one and has the tools to grow into a star. In their matchup with the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Elite Eight, Griffin showcased his entire bag and lead the Blue Devils to the Final Four with 18 points on 7-9 shooting. He’d be the perfect wing to complement a Dame-Anfernee Simons backcourt.

NBA Comp: Jaylen Brown