The Portland Trail Blazers are tied with the Brooklyn Nets for the sixth-worst record in the association at 13-24. Their .351 win percentage is improved from last season's .256 when they finished tied with the Charlotte Hornets for the third-worst record in the league at 21-61. Portland went on to lose the lottery tiebreaker to Charlotte, which resulted in the Hornets having the No. 6 overall pick, with the Blazers falling back to No. 7.
It doesn't appear that falling back to No. 7 negatively impacted Portland's plans. They selected Donovan Clingan, who Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report previously mentioned he had a 'strong suspicion' (subscription required) was their top-ranked prospect all along.
It's much more important that the Blazers position themselves to increase their odds of landing a top selection this summer. This is widely viewed as a significantly stronger draft class than 2024, with potentially franchise-altering headliners Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper at the top.
Portland must trade some of their veterans before the Feb. 6 deadline. If the season ended today, they would only have roughly a 17 percent chance of landing a top-two pick. The Blazers have improved from last season but will never be true playoff contenders until they land their franchise star. This draft is a great opportunity for them to change that.
2025 NBA Mock Draft 2.0
In our previous mock draft, the Blazers selected Noa Essengue, a raw yet versatile, defense-minded forward from Ratiopharm Ulm. This time, they select another prospect with excellent positional size but a more polished shooter in Kon Knueppel out of Duke. Here is how the first round shapes out:
Note: The draft order is based on teams' records as of Jan. 10.
Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Washington Wizards | Cooper Flagg | F | Duke |
2 | New Orleans Pelicans | Dylan Harper | G | Rutgers |
3 | Toronto Raptors | Ace Bailey | G/F | Rutgers |
4 | Charlotte Hornets | V.J. Edgecombe | G | Baylor |
5 | Utah Jazz | Egor Demin | SG | BYU |
6 | Brooklyn Nets | Kasparas Jakucionis | G | Illinois |
7 | Portland Trail Blazers | Kon Knueppel | G/F | Duke |
8 | Oklahoma City Thunder (via PHI) | Liam McNeeley | SF | UConn |
9 | San Antonio Spurs (via CHI) | Tre Johnson | SG | Texas |
10 | Houston Rockets (via PHX) | Asa Newell | PF | Georgia |
11 | San Antonio Spurs | Ben Saraf | G | Ratiopharm Ulm |
12 | Sacramento Kings | Khaman Maluach | C | Duke |
13 | Detroit Pistons | Nolan Traoré | PG | Saint-Quentin |
14 | San Antonio Spurs (via ATL) | Noa Essengue | F | Ratiopharm Ulm |
15 | Golden State Warriors | Boogie Fland | G | Arkansas |
16 | Indiana Pacers | Jeremiah Fears | G | Oklahoma |
17 | Oklahoma City Thunder (via MIA) | Thomas Sorber | F/C | Georgetown |
18 | Utah Jazz (via MIN) | Derik Queen | C | Maryland |
19 | Oklahoma City Thunder (via LAC) | Hugo Gonzalez | SG | Real Madrid |
20 | Brooklyn Nets (via MIL) | Jase Richardson | PG | Michigan State |
21 | Atlanta Hakws (via LAL) | Ian Jackson | SG | North Carolina |
22 | Orlando Magic | Labaron Philon | PG | Alabama |
23 | Dallas Mavericks | Alex Karaban | SF | UConn |
24 | Orlando Magic (via DEN) | Collin Murray-Boyle | F/C | South Carolina |
25 | Memphis Grizzlies | Nique Clifford | SG | Colorado State |
26 | Brooklyn Nets (via NYK) | Noah Penda | G/F | Le Mans |
27 | Brooklyn Nets (via HOU) | Dink Pate | SG | Mexico City Capitanes |
28 | Boston Celtics | Ryan Kalkbrenner | C | Creighton |
29 | LA Clippers (via OKC) | Adou Thiero | SG | Arkansas |
30 | Utah Jazz (via CLE) | Rasheer Fleming | PF | St. Joseph's |
Why Kon Knueppel makes sense for the Blazers
Knueppel's stats at Duke don't scream potential top-ten pick. He's averaging 12.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists on 43/36/93 shooting splits. But he's a tremendous fit for Portland's needs.
The Blazers are developing an identity as a lengthy team, with an average starting lineup height of 6-foot-8. The additions of Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija have made Portland much more defensively versatile, allowing them to switch more effectively with their size and ability to guard multiple positions. That's something Knueppel, a 6-foot-7 guard, is also capable of at the next level.
He'd also help address the Blazers' two most glaring weaknesses on the offensive end with his shooting and playmaking. The eye test and his free throw efficiency suggest that Knueppel is even more of a knockdown shooter than his 35.9 three-point percentage indicates, which is something that Sam Vecenie of The Athletic emphasized in his recent mock draft.
"He's only made 35.9 percent of his 3s so far, something that scouts do not believe will last. They really value Knueppel's shooting ability and think he'll continue to develop into the kind of player who can not just make open 3s from NBA distance but also attack closeouts and run ball screens with comfort because of his feel for the game," writes Vecenie.
The Blazers could go a lot of different directions in this upcoming draft with such an unfinished roster that has numerous weaknesses to address. In that mock draft, Knueppel lands with the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 9 overall, with Portland selecting Asa Newell, a forward out of Georgia, at No. 6.
Hopefully, the Blazers land a top pick and can take Flagg or Harper. But if they pick No. 7 for the third time in the past four years, someone like Knueppel -- who can provide a little bit of everything with his size, defense, shooting, and basketball IQ -- is a solid option they should consider in that range.