Ranking 14 biggest what-ifs in Portland Trail Blazers history
By Tyler Watts
6. Draft Giannis over CJ McCollum in 2013?
Were the Portland Trail Blazers in on Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2013? A ton has been done about that draft, and how he went from raw prospect to arguably the league’s best player. The Greek Freak slipped to 15th. Despite interest from the Mavericks and Hawks, it was the Bucks that landed Giannis and developed him into a superstar.
The Blazers took CJ McCollum with the tenth overall pick in 2013. It is less talked about because the 6’3 guard is arguably the third-best player in this class, but Giannis and Rudy Gobert were still on the board. Portland had LaMarcus Aldridge, Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews, and Nicolas Batum, so they went for a guard over another forward or big man.
Giannis needed time to develop, so he could fit into any situation. There is no guarantee he becomes a star in Portland. Former Bucks head coach Jason Kidd gave him freedom early on and encouraged him to expand his ball-handling and playmaking chops. That was key in creating the perennial MVP candidate fans see today. The Blazers had Damian Lillard and wanted to compete quickly, which is likely why they went with McCollum.
Imagine prime Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo sharing the floor in Portland. Those Trail Blazers would have been impossible to stop, and the Greek Freak’s defense would have made the team a yearly title contender.