3 Young players Trail Blazers should develop, 1 to give up on
By Reese Kunz
Develop Jabari Walker
Jabari Walker is one of the most underrated Blazers players and frequently goes unmentioned when talking about their up-and-coming core players. He's another second-round gem, selected No. 57 overall out of Colorado in the 2022 NBA Draft. Walker showed a lot of improvement from his rookie to sophomore season. This past year, Walker averaged 8.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and one assist per game on 46/30/75 shooting splits.
Their starting power forward, Grant, is a great player, but one glaring weakness in his game is his lack of rebounding. Despite being 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Grant averaged only 3.5 rebounds per game last season. Walker's rebounding alone is extremely valuable for the Blazers.
The fact that the 30-year-old Grant doesn't fit into Portland's rebuilding timeline makes their young forwards like Walker and Toumani Camara even more valuable. Between Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Avdija, and Donovan Clingan, the Blazers have four of their five long-term starters figured out. Their power-forward spot is the most significant question mark, which makes it even more essential to continue developing Walker.
Rupert, Banton, and Walker have all showcased enough talent and potential for the Blazers' organization to continue investing in them. But who's the one player that they should move on from?