Blazers mock draft roundup: Portland lands No. 1 in lottery sim, March Madness rules
Blazers gamble on upside of Cody Williams and high-floor of Kyle Filipowski
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman has Cronin grabbing a boom-or-bust prospect in Colorado's Cody Williams and following it up with a safer bet on Duke sophomore Kyle Filipowski with his second selection.
No. 5: Cody Williams, F, Colorado
Wasserman's comp for Williams is Minnesota Timberwolves' defender and glue guy extraordinaire Jaden McDaniels. Williams' size (6-8) and length point to an above-average defender, but his lack of shot creation and scoring ability, at least to this point in his career, have him all over the place in mocks.
At the very least, he can develop into a good wing defender and a point-forward who could be an excellent distributor. But Cody is a more highly-touted prospect than his brother Jalen was (who now stars for the Oklahoma City Thunder), so the potential to be a high-level two-way wing is certainly there.
Williams is coming off an ankle injury that could dampen his chances at a standout March Madness run - he only played 11 minutes and went 0-for-4 in the Buffaloes' first-four win over Boise State - but there aren't many prospects in the 2024 draft with his potential.
No. 14: Kyle Filipowski, C, Duke
Filipowski could have entered the draft last year but decided to return to Duke for another season. It was a good call as he's improved across the board, both statistically and in the eye-test department.
Filipowski's attractiveness as a prospect stems from his ability to put the ball on the floor, shoot from the outside, score in the paint, make passes that keep an offense humming and defend multiple front-court positions. He's a 7-footer with guard-like skills and versatility, even if he doesn't have one standout attribute.
If he lands in Portland, Filipowski could play next to Deandre Ayton and the Blazers could have one 7-footer grabbing a rebound and leading a fast break with another athletic enough to run alongside him. That would be unique, to say the least.
Next: Trail Blazers grab the most likely college player to breakout in March