With the 2023 NBA Draft approaching, it’s time to start making some choices. Literally. With the roster at a crossroads, the Portland Trail Blazers draft decisions on June 22 will point the franchise in one direction or another.
With only rumors floating around at the moment – albeit many, many rumors – Portland General Manager Joe Cronin is still the owner of three picks in this year’s draft: Nos. 3, 23, and 43. And as the draft gets closer, the possibility of the Blazers staying put and selecting a prospect at one or all of those spots becomes greater.
So what if Portland continues to try and straddle the line between building for the future and winning in the present? What if all three of those picks are made on draft night?
Creating the ideal Blazers draft
Ideal selection at No. 3: Scoot Henderson, PG, G League Ignite
Scoot is the second-best prospect in this class, so landing him at No. 3 would be a boon for the Blazers.
A lot has been made of Alabama wing Brandon Miller’s size, position, and fit next to Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons. As a 6-foot-9 shot-maker, it’s easy to see the appeal.
Henderson, however, is simply a better, more NBA-ready basketball player, and his lack of fit alongside Dame has been overblown. He’s not Simons or CJ McCollum all over again; he may be a 6-2 guard, but his 6-foot-9 wingspan, strength, athleticism, and the intensity with which he plays couldn’t be more anti-Ant or -CJ.
Scoot gets downhill quickly and can either explode to the rim or finish with touch. He’s an improving playmaker who doesn’t get stuck single-mindedly driving to score; he can kick out to open shooters or find cutters, and he should find more space to drive in the NBA with Lillard spacing the floor, not to mention the athletic backcourt the Blazers could run out with he and Shaedon Sharpe.
He’s Russell Westbrook with the right attitude.
Drafting for best-player-available here also leaves the door open for other moves. If Scoot comes to Portland, packaging Simons and the No. 23 pick still leaves Cronin with legitimate ammo to add a veteran wing.
Ideal selection at No. 23: Noah Clowney, F, Alabama
The Trail Blazers are in desperate need of size of any kind, but size that comes with athleticism in particular. Here, Portland finds that with Clowney at No. 23.
Clowney’s length and athletic ability would immediately improve Portland’s interior defense and depth. If Jusuf Nurkic is still in a Rip City jersey, Clowney could come off the bench to provide a burst of energy; play alongside Nurk in two-big lineups; or eventually play his way into the starting lineup.
The 6-10 big man won’t turn 19 until after the draft, but his combination of movement skills, length, and hustle will allow him to play minutes right away, despite his thin frame.
Clowney also has offensive upside outside of rim running and catching lobs; he showed a willingness to let fly from deep during his lone season at Alabama, and he does so with a good, fluid form, especially for a big man.
If he can turn into a respectable 3-point threat, his ceiling vaults from a solid starting center to one with All-Star potential.
Ideal selection at No. 43: Jaime Jaquez, wing, UCLA
This is the first sort of reach of this exercise – Jacquez may be gone before the Blazers are on the clock in the second round. He is an older prospect at 22, though, and has his flaws with an inconsistent 3-point stroke and limited upside, which could see him slide out of the back end of the first round.
But he also has translatable skills that will make him at worst one of the league’s elite role players.
Jaquez is a legitimate isolation scorer. He has the best footwork of any player in this class, big men included. His pump fakes, up-and-unders, ability to finish, draw fouls and play through contact are Jimmy Butler-esque.
He can counter those moves with a reliable turnaround fadeaway and is a solid scorer from the mid-range. He averaged 17.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists on better than 48 percent shooting his senior year with the Bruins.
It’s become cliché, but the 6-7, 220-pound wing simply makes winning plays. He’ll be a willing glue guy in the NBA, but his offensive skill set and high IQ should make him more than that.
Jaquez can be a reliable fifth-starter or elite role player. Think Derrick White but a better scorer or Kyle Anderson with a lot more athleticism.
There’s a more than 50/50 chance the Blazers don’t make all three of these picks on draft night, or they do make the picks and trade them later in the offseason. But if things break this way, Portland gets a franchise-centerpiece guard, a big man with upside who can play minutes right away, and a high-level role player who will contribute to winning on day one.