Blazers mock draft roundup: Portland steals unique prospect rocketing up draft boards
Blazers 2024 NBA mock draft selections: ESPN
No. 5: Cody Williams, F, Colorado
Cody is the younger brother of Oklahoma City Thunder star Jaylin Williams, but Cody was a much more highly-rated prospect coming out of high school and has played like it with the Buffaloes. He's averaging 14.2 points and 1.6 stocks (steals plus blocks), showing potential as a versatile defender and wing scorer.
His shooting remains a question, but at 6-foot-8 with real ballhandling ability, Williams finds ways to get to the rim and finish or find an open teammate. He's a skilled and willing passer who, at least at this stage of his development, plays more like a point forward than a pure scorer.
No. 17 (as of Feb. 22 the Warriors' pick is No. 13): Devin Carter, G, Providence
Devin Carter has broken out as one of the best two-way guards in the NCAA this year. The junior is in his second season in the Big East and is posting averages of 19.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals. He plays bigger than his listed height of 6-foot-3 and is simply a nuisance on defense.
He's an aggressive, gritty, dive-for-loose-balls type of player, and his 3-point shooting has jumped from 30 percent on 3.5 attempts a game last year to 40.5 this year on 6.5 attempts. He's a three-and-D guard - a rarer archetype than the three-and-D wing - but he's been a star at it this year.
No. 34: Dillon Jones, F, Weber State
Shoutout to Damian Lillard's alma mater. Jones is another 6-6 wing and, like Furphy and Scheierman, does more than just score. The 22-year-old is averaging a double-double this year with the Wildcats (19.0 points, 10.0 rebounds).
He's also averaging 5.0 apg and a whopping 4.0 steals while shooting 35 percent from deep. He's a small-school player putting up high-major numbers.
No. 40: Keshad Johnson, PF, Arizona
Johnson is a 6-foot-7 combo forward averaging 11.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and nearly a steal per game in his senior season with the Wildcats. He's an older prospect, but he's shooting 37.1 percent from three, and with his size and experience playing for one of the best programs in the country, could slot in as a possible three-and-D role player as a rookie.