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.
2. Cam Christie, Minnesota
If they don't select Kansas' Johnny Furphy, another excellent shooter that should go towards the top of the second round is Minnesota Gophers' Cam Christie, brother of Los Angeles Lakers' Max Christie. The Trail Blazers should consider Cam as a draft-day sleeper due to his pure shooting ability, connecting on 39.1 percent of his attempts his freshman season.
He's more of a flier as one of the youngest prospects in the class at 18 years old. But the Blazers desperately need to add more floor spacing in the draft and didn't address the need with the No. 7 overall selection of UConn center Donovan Clingan. Christie could get minutes right away due to his shooting, but the appeal for him with Portland in the second round is his upside as a two-way guard with the potential to be a playmaker who can also create shots off the dribble.
Christie has solid positional size at 6-foot-5, and due to his age and shooting ability, he is worth the Blazers taking a stab at in the second round, especially since they have two picks. He'd be a great role player to bring off the bench to complement the Blazers' future backcourt of Scoot Henerson and Shaedon Sharpe, who prefer to attack the paint and thrive when the floor is spaced for them to operate in isolation situations.
3. Tyler Smith, G League Ignite
Tyler Smith is a polarizing prospect who was previously projected to even be in play for the Blazers at pick No. 14 in the lottery earlier in the season. However, his stock has fallen lately, as Smith is a day-two prospect. Smith averaged 13.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists with the G League on 48/36/73 shooting splits. He is already an average floor spacer with room for improvement at 19 years old. The other appeal for Smith offensively is his size at 6-foot-11 and athleticism, which makes him a threat as a rim-runner in transition and pick-and-rolls.
The Blazers added significant pieces to bolster their roster with the selection of UConn center Donovan Clingan and trade for Wizards' wing Deni Avdija. However, they still need more depth at their power forward position. Although the Blazers are finally under the luxury tax after moving Malcolm Brogdon as part of the Avdija trade, it remains to be seen whether or not they want to keep Jerami Grant for the remainder of his five-year, $160 million contract signed last offseason.
Smith would be a great addition and provide long-term insurance should the Blazers decide to move Grant. He certainly has room for improvement in his playmaking and defensive awareness, but in the second round, Smith is worth taking a chance on for Portland.