The Portland Trail Blazers ranked in the bottom five in three-point efficiency the past two seasons. Shooting is their most obvious roster weakness and something they need to address this offseason to help unlock their young core. The good news is that the 2025 NBA Draft has a few reliable sharpshooters projected to go in the lottery.
These three prospects stand out amongst the rest as ones the Blazers should strongly consider selecting with their No. 11 overall pick after falling back one spot in the lottery. However, some are more realistic than others, as shooting is at a premium.
Dream: Tre Johnson, Texas
Portland still needs to land a star and should be prioritizing the best player available at this point in their rebuild. However, fit needs to be strongly factored into their decision as well. Given the Blazers' situation as a team that needs upside and shooting and has an unproven backcourt, there may be no better match than Texas sharpshooter Tre Johnson.
He's been as advertised at the NBA draft combine and is nearly automatic in the midrange.
Unfortunately, Blazers fans shouldn't get too enamored with Johnson's game. It wouldn't be surprising if he's a top-five pick, especially after a strong combine.
Reach: Kon Knueppel, Duke
A somewhat more realistic option than Johnson is Duke's Kon Knueppel. The star upside may be lacking in comparison to Johnson, but there is still untapped potential in Knueppel's game that some may overlook.
Everyone knows he's a knockdown shooter, connecting on 40.6 percent of his three-point attempts as a freshman. But he's also an underrated playmaker who could be more than just a spot-up shooter at the next level. There are cases of players embracing diminished roles in college due to a stacked roster, only to break out when given more responsibility at the next level. Devin Booker coming off the bench for Kentucky is one example.
Knueppel's floor is already incredibly high, given his elite shooting and high basketball IQ. He always seems to be in the right spot and makes the proper read on both sides of the ball. But the Blazers also need more playmaking, and Knueppel could provide another source of that.
However, the issue is that, after the top five, every team should be enticed by the opportunity to add a winning player and knockdown shooter like Knueppel. It's possible he's not around by the time the Blazers are on the clock.
Realistic: Liam McNeeley, UConn
Michigan State guard Jase Richardson was in play here as well, but UConn's Liam McNeeley gets the nod as the Blazers' best (most realistic) sharpshooting option.
Richardson came in at just over six feet tall in the NBA Combine measurement, potentially making him a defensive liability and not aligning well with Portland's roster identity. Meanwhile, McNeeley checks in at 6-foot-7, giving him a higher floor as it's easier to see a path to becoming an impactful player as a floor-spacing wing.
McNeeley was inefficient at UConn, shooting just 31.7 percent from beyond the arc. But the eye test and his 86.6 percent from the charity stripe prove that he's one of the best shooters in this class.
Ideally, the Blazers land a more intriguing option that possesses star upside. But make no mistake about it -- McNeeley would be a great consolation prize.