The 2024 NBA Draft class is being heavily compared to the 2013 class as one of the worst of all time. Anthony Bennett went No. 1 to the Cleveland Cavaliers that summer, a draft in which Otto Porter Jr., Cody Zeller and Alex Len were top-five picks. It also featured, however, one of the greatest players of all time in Giannis Antetokounmpo and one of the best defenders of all time in Rudy Gobert.
Antetokounmpo and Gobert were taken as pure upside fliers by the Milwaukee Bucks and Utah Jazz, respectively. No one - literally no one - knew the type of players they would become.
If it happened in 2013, it could happen in 2024.
The Portland Trail Blazers are finishing year one of a total rebuild. They dealt Damian Lillard to Milwaukee and drafted 19-year-old point guard Scoot Henderson with the third-overall selection in 2023, adding him to a core that features 20-year-old Shaedon Sharpe and 24-year-old Anfernee Simons. The Blazers aren't aiming for NBA titles anytime in the next few seasons.
Portland Trail Blazers gamble on upside in 2024 NBA mock draft
That window of roster building rather than championship contention gives Portland a golden opportunity to do exactly what the Bucks and Jazz did: throw all caution to the wind and gamble on raw talent and potential with the hopes that one or more of their four picks - all of which come in the top 39 - develop into the next Giannis or Gobert.
Using Tankathon's mock draft simulator, here's where the Blazers could go with their quartet of selections in the 2024 NBA Draft.
No. 5: Ron Holland, F, G League Ignite
Ron Holland may be the most divisive prospect in the 2024 class. He was the No. 1 high school recruit according to 247Sports and was headed to Texas before deciding to go the G League route and play for the Ignite. It's fair to say things haven't gone as planned for the former McDonald's All-American.
The Ignite are 2-19 despite being loaded with potentially two top-10 prospects in Holland and Matas Buzelis as well as a pair of other potential first-round picks. Holland was supposed to be the star, but he hasn't played like one, at least not offensively.
The Dallas product is averaging 20.6 points and 6.6 rebounds in 14 G League regular season games, but he's been inefficient, especially from three, and has struggled with turnovers. He's only shooting 24 percent from deep and his assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.2 to 3 is borderline awful.
Defensively is where the 6-foot-8 wing shines right now. With exceptional athleticism, length and quick feet, Holland can easily switch and guard 1 through 4. At times, he can simply be suffocating as a defender. He's averaging 2.5 steals with the Ignite.
Offensively, he's best in transition, where he can easily put his athleticism and explosiveness to good use. He's a better passer when running the floor than when facing a set defense. In the half-court, he can blow by defenders and get to the rim, where he's a good finisher, and he can create contact, as evidenced by his 5 free-throw attempts per game.
The swing skills for Holland are shooting and shot creation. He's not a great iso player and, without a 3-point shot, doesn't function well spotting up. If he doesn't develop either of those skills, he'll have a long career as a great defender and transition force. If he does become a good shooter from three and finds a way to get a bucket on his own, he becomes a young Paul George.
For a team on the Blazers' timeline, it's worth grabbing Holland - he'll still be 18 on draft day - and letting him develop next to Scoot and Sharpe, hoping he completes a wildly athletic 1-2-3 punch.
No. 13: Yves Missi, C, Baylor
Yves Missi is another upside shot worth taking. Come draft night, he may be off the board when the Golden State Warriors' pick comes into play for Portland. But he's available here, and he's an ideal fit for the Trail Blazers.
Missi is a 7-foot, 235-pound explosive lob-catcher and rim protector. His length and athleticism allow him to switch in certain schemes or play drop coverage, but as long as he's near the basket, he's going to be a deterrent. He's averaging 1.7 blocks as a freshman at Baylor.
Offensively, he's mostly limited to scoring around the rim, but he's converting 63 percent of his field-goal attempts and has rapidly developed into an adept pick-and-roll finisher, which would pair well with Henderson in a two-man game.
As he's gotten more comfortable playing in the Big 12, the 19-year-old has started to show a little more on that end, facing up and trying to blow by other bigs or cutting from the dunker's spot.
If Missi doesn't turn into any kind of scorer, he can still become a lob-city-ish version of Deandre Jordan. If he can continue to develop those offensive flashes, though, his ceiling is closer to Bam Adebayo.
Like Holland, it's worth taking a prospect with this physical profile, letting him grow and seeing what happens since the Blazers have developmental time to spare.
No. 34: Trevon Brazile, F, Arkansas
Trevon Brazile would be another perfect fit in Portland as a 6-10 forward who's shown flashes of high-level two-way potential.
Brazile played in 25 games as a freshman at Arkansas but didn't light up the stat sheet - he averaged 6.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. He was coming on as a sophomore last year before tearing his ACL, averaging almost 12 points per game and shooting 38 percent from three in his first six games.
He hasn't found that offensive form yet this season and is now missing time with knee soreness, which isn't a good sign for a player coming off a torn ACL. If he can get healthy, though - and the Blazers have time to wait - the 3-point stroke and glimpses of shot creation he showed, coupled with his length and shot-blocking - point to a potentially explosive two-way player.
No. 39: PJ Hall, C, Clemson
PJ Hall is a throwback big man with a well-developed post game and is a senior, two immediate knocks for most NBA teams. But looking at the former four-star prospect in that light would be ignoring the potential skills he's shown that would flash better in the NBA than they do in the ACC.
Hall is averaging 19.6 points and 7.2 rebounds this season. He's also posting 1.8 blocks per game and has averaged more than a block a year since his sophomore campaign. What's even more promising is that offensively, Hall is expanding his skillset from the post to the 3-point line.
As a junior, he shot 39.8 percent on 2.5 attempts from three; this year his percentage has dropped to 31.0, but he's increased his volume to almost 5 a night.
In an upset win at North Carolina on Feb. 6, Hall led the Tigers with 25 points on 4-of-10 shooting from deep to go along with 9 rebounds, 4 of which came on the offensive end, and he did it against National Player of the Year Candidate Armando Bacot.
Hall should fit in in the NBA as a rotation big with the potential to grow into a high-level role player who can stretch the floor, block shots and score on mismatches in the post.
There's no immediate star waiting for the Blazers in the 2024 draft. No Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren or Paolo Banchero.
What could be waiting is a prospect who's being overlooked or one whose flaws have drowned out his potential. If there's no sure thing for Portland, why not aim for the stars and take a flier on a prospect with superstar upside even if there's a chance his name is forgotten in five years?
In other words, why not aim for the next Giannis or Rudy Gobert?