3 Players Blazers must draft in second round after landing Donovan Clingan

The Blazers have already had a productive 2024 NBA Draft (and hours leading up to it) with the No. 7 selection of UConn center Donovan Clingan and prior trade for Wizards wing Deni Avdija. With two second-round picks, No. 34 and No. 40, they have an excellent opportunity to take high-upside prospects to add to these acquisitions.

1. Johnny Furphy, Kansas

Johnny Furphy surprisingly declared for the 2024 NBA Draft despite having a relatively underwhelming freshman season at Kansas, averaging only 9.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game on 47/35/77 shooting splits. Furphy is more of a developmental prospect, and it made sense that he entered the draft early due to the weaknesses of the draft class. He was even invited to the green room, suggesting that the NBA also believed he was a first-round pick, at the very least.

However, Furphy now falls to the second round, as many teams picking towards the end of the first round, like the Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics, selected more immediate impact prospects to help them win next season. Furphy has solid positional size at 6-foot-8, a soft shooting touch, and bouncy athleticism. The Blazers need to add more wings, even after trading for Deni Avdija. They could benefit from taking a flier on someone like Furphy in the second round.