Ranking the Portland Trail Blazers' 3 most glaring needs this summer
By Reese Kunz
2. Two-way forward
The Blazers have done a solid job acquiring defensive-minded wings, such as the pleasantly surprising rookie Toumani Camara and two-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team Matisse Thybulle. Although both are great role pieces that Billups can utilize in specific situations, they aren't offensive weapons and are too one-dimensional.
To their credit, both were only about two percentage points below the league average three-point shooting for small forwards, which was 36.2 this past season. But, in an ideal scenario, Portland would have another wing or two that could defend multiple positions while also being able to do a bit of offensive orchestrating to take the pressure off their young guards.
Additionally, forward Jerami Grant is 30 years old. He isn't part of the future core, as he will be out of his prime by the time the Blazers timeline is ready to contend. Considering that, the Blazers' core moving forward could be some combination of Henderson, Simons, and Shapre as the one and two guards, with Ayton and Robert Williams securing the center position. Both forward positions are up for grabs, assuming the three guards can't effectively play alongside one another.
Finding someone who can do a little bit of everything - defend multiple positions, rebound, space the floor, create his shot, etc. - will be a key for the Blazers in the future. This player archetype doesn't have to be elite at one particular skill; he has to be well-rounded enough to be a threat on both ends of the floor as a complementary piece.
Multiple options fit this mold in the upcoming NBA draft. Some possible draft options that Portland could target include French wings Zaccharie Risacher and Tidjane Salaun and Colorado's Cody Williams. Of course, they could always go the G League Ignite route again with Ron Holland or Matas Buzelis. The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor has the Blazers selecting Buzelis No. 4 overall and Baylor guard Ja'Kobe Walter at pick No. 14 in his latest 2024 NBA mock draft.