Portland Trail Blazers General Manager Joe Cronin has a high lottery pick that holds the fifth-best odds at becoming the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NBA Draft. Heading into May, Cronin’s goal with that pick is to find a willing trade partner for a blockbuster swap that would bring a superstar to Portland to pair with Damian Lillard.
With Lillard, and potentially a player like Jaylen Brown, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, or Mikal Bridges in the fold, Dame and the Blazers would theoretically have a shot to make a deep playoff run and push for an NBA championship.
There’s also a scenario in which Cronin can’t find a trade like that to his liking, and he and Lillard decide a parting of the ways is best for both sides. In that case, Portland’s GM would pivot to getting as significant a return as he can for arguably the best player in franchise history.
If that’s the case, a full rebuild around Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, and whatever draft capital the Blazers have would be the play. If that’s how the offseason goes, Portland will have a potentially top-five pick to play with, the pick Cronin acquired from the New York Knicks at the trade deadline (23rd overall), a second-round pick at 43 overall, and a haul of future picks to use to move around the board.
In that scenario, there’s no point in drafting a player who’s ready to contribute right away. A swing at a high-upside prospect would be the way to go, similar to what Portland did with Sharpe in the 2022 draft. The Blazers’ timeline for competing would get pushed way back, so they might as well shoot their shot on a boom-or-bust player with superstar potential.
If this is how things play out heading into draft night on June 22, here are four such players Cronin could go big or go home on who could become another foundational piece for the franchise – or flame out completely – that Portland can afford to take a risk on.
GG Jackson, South Carolina
Jackson was one of the highest-rated recruits in the 2022 class. After committing to North Carolina, he decommitted to re-classify from the 2023 class – where he was the No. 1 overall prospect – and fast-track his career as a potential lottery pick.
Still, the South Carolina native was the top-ranked power forward in 2022 and the sixth-overall player nationally. He arrived to the Gamecocks as a go-to option offensively who was supposed to help the program get over the hump and compete in the NCAA Tournament.
None of that came to fruition, as Jackson struggled both on the court and off. As a player, his shot selection was terrible. Was that a result of SC’s lack of offensive options, or an immature player trying to get his own with no desire to get his teammates involved?
He’s not a great passer, either, even if he did try and facilitate. He’s an inefficient shooter who shot 38 percent from the floor and 32 percent from three. He averaged 2.7 turnovers and just 0.8 assists.
From a pure skill standpoint, though, Jackson is a marvel. He’s already 6-9, 215 pounds as the youngest player in the draft. He can cut, crash the offensive glass, and puts in effort on offense. His mechanics say he should become a knockdown shooter off the catch, as well as a shot-maker off the bounce, and is already a good finisher at the rim.
Jackson may be the most boom-or-bust prospect in this entire class.
Amen Thompson, Overtime Elite
Amen Thompson may be the most athletic, explosive player in the entire class and, at 6-7, those physical attributes stand out even more.
Thompson and his brother, Ausar, are consistently mocked in the top-five by draft experts. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer likens Amen to a “tall Ja Morant or beanpole Zion Williamson” because of incredible athleticism and ability to be playmaker.
Amen is a terrific on-ball defender who can force turnovers and flash from one end of the floor to the other in transition. He’s a blur, but he doesn’t go so fast that he loses control and just chucks passes everywhere. He’s smart, calculated, and has the apparent ability to slow his brain down, even when his body is flying.
He can start and stop on a dime and use his length to finish near the rim, although his slim frame makes it difficult for him to play through contact. He was able to create his own shot with Overtime Elite – a step down from the G League Ignite or college basketball – but he can’t make most of them and doesn’t show a ton of promise in terms of improving as a shooter.
He’s limited in the half court as a scorer, but his physical tools have carried him to this point.
That athleticism and skill set make him an incredibly intriguing prospect; but the lack of competition as a 20-year-old playing in a league with players two, three, or four years younger than him is worrisome, especially if a team wants him to contribute right away.
The Blazers wouldn’t, though, and allowing Amen to develop alongside Sharpe could pay major dividends if he reaches his potential. There’s just a high variance between that sky-high ceiling and low-lying floor.
James Nnaji, Barcelona
A center project who could potentially be available when the Blazers are on the clock at No. 23, Nnaji has all the upside to become a physically dominant center in the NBA. That problem is that upside is coupled with almost zero experience of high-level basketball and an extremely raw set of skills.
Nnaji has spent a few years in the lower rungs of Barcelona’s men’s basketball team in Spain, averaging about 5 points and 4 rebounds, but at just 18 years old, has started to flash some tantalizing physical gifts
Despite his youth, he’s already a well-built 6-10, 225 pound big man with a massive 7-7 wingspan. He’s a deterrent at the rim, blocking and altering shots with relative ease, but shows some flashes of being quick enough to move his feet and stay with perimeter players. He uses his size to rebound well and set rib-breaking screens.
At this point in his development, though, Nnaji has almost no offensive skill outside of setting screens and scoring near the basket.
The Blazers would be committing to developing him as a prospect, perhaps at the G-League level for now, fantasizing about capitalizing on his immense physical gifts.
Dariq Whitehead, Duke
Whitehead was the No. 2 overall player in the 2022 high school class. Physically, he’s ready to be an NBA scorer immediately. The production just never matched the potential in his lone season with the Blue Devils.
He’s 6-7, 220 pounds and has yet to turn 19. He was a prolific scorer in high school, dominating both athletically and skill-wise.
He only averaged 8.3 points a game last season in the ACC and didn’t add much more to the stat sheet, but he morphed from a dominant on-ball scorer in high school to mostly a spot-up shooter in college, which is a tough transition to make.
He has every skill you could ask for as an NBA-level scorer and came on strong at the end of the season, ending 2022-23 shooting 42.4 percent from three on 3.5 attempts a night.
Whitehead is the prototypical talent vs. production player. If the two ever match up, though, he has the ability to score in bunches at the next level with relative ease.