Jared McCain: Shooting
The Blazers' other concerning offensive stat that they must factor into the 2024 NBA Draft and the offseason as a whole is that they finished last in the association in three-point efficiency at 34.4 percent. Despite being a freshman, Duke's Jared McCain is already one of the best shooters in the entire draft class. He connected on 41.4 percent of his three-point attempts and 88.5 percent from the charity stripe. Because he's already such an elite shooter, McCain could make sense for Rip City at pick No. 14 despite not filling a positional need.
The Blazers' backcourt is currently crowded, but this could change with their anticipated trade to avoid the luxury tax. Additionally, three of their top shooters, Malcolm Brogdon (41.2 percent from three), Jerami Grant (40.2 percent), and Anfernee Simons (38.5), could all potentially be traded at some point in the near future, if not this offseason. McCain would be a helpful addition regardless of who stays on the roster, but he could also provide valuable insurance in case one or multiple of these players do wind up being on the move.
McCain's playmaking, positional size at 6-foot-3, and ability to stretch the floor allow him to project as a combo guard at the next level. With the Blazers, McCain could serve as the backup point guard to spell Scoot Henderson. However, he is also capable of playing off-ball as a floor spacer alongside Henderson. Shooting is the Blazers' biggest need this offseason, and no one in the class does it better than McCain.