As of April 2, the Portland Trail Blazers are one game up on the Charlotte Hornets and San Antonio Spurs in the NBA standings. The injury-plagued squad in Rip City is on a 10-game losing streak, though, surpassing its longest of the season, while Victor Wembanyama single-handedly drags the Spurs to what could be crucial wins.
There are seven games left in the regular season. That's seven opportunities for the Trail Blazers to tank their way to the third-worst record in the league. Seven chances for Portland to give itself the best possible odds at earning the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
That's an important septuplet. (An "I can tank better than you" matchup with the Hornets awaits on April 3.) Nailing the draft is critical to a rebuild like Portland's, even in what's considered to be a weak class. The Milwaukee Bucks landed Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Utah Jazz got Rudy Gobert in the 2013 draft, which was widely considered a poor class, too.
Projecting potential Trail Blazers 2024 NBA Draft class
Using Tankathon to sim the draft lottery (while the Blazers still own the fifth-best odds at the top selection), all the end-of-season losing turns out to be for nothing as general manager Joe Cronin and Co. end up with the No. 7 pick.
Going off of that bad luck (when it rains it pours, right?), here's what Portland's potential 2024 NBA Draft could look like.
No. 7: Stephon Castle, G, UConn
With top prospects such as Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher long gone, it's worth taking a swing on Castle. The 19-year-old Connecticut guard - a consistent starter on the best team in college basketball despite being a freshman - has the skill set to become the best player in this draft.
Castle is a 6-foot-6 guard, but the fact that UConn Head Coach Dan Hurley is comfortable slotting him into the starting lineup on the wing is evidence of his versatility. Castle was a point guard and pick-and-roll ball handler in high school, but with a senior backcourt flanking him with the Huskies, he hasn't been able to display his skills as a lead play-making guard.
Castle can use his size and strength to bully through defenders and is a savvy finisher at the rim. He's also an unselfish and skilled passer who can drive and find open teammates.
Perhaps most attractive to the Blazers, the Georgia native is a versatile defender willing to do the dirty work on that end of the floor. His size, length and quickness allow him to switch and guard 1 through 4 and he shows tenacity fighting through screens. He's a solid rebounder (he averaged almost 5 boards a game this season) who can finish possessions and use his point-guard skills to kick off a fast break.
Castle's swing skill, like many other prospects, is his shooting. He's knocking down 47 percent of his shots from the floor but only 26.2 percent from three. NBA teams will sag off him until he proves he can hit from deep, but until he develops a respectable shooting stroke, he can use that space to get a head of steam and use his big body to drive at or through defenders and make plays.
Putting someone with Castle's size, unselfishness and defensive versatility in a backcourt next to smaller guards such as Scoot Henderson and Anfernee Simons would add an important element that Portland's missing on its current roster.
No. 13: Donovan Clingan, C, UConn
The chances that Castle's teammate is still around at pick No. 13 are getting smaller by the game. Clingan has been dominant throughout this year's NCAA Tournament, especially in the Huskies' Elite Eight matchup with Illinois.
The Fighting Illini, one of the best offensive teams in college basketball all season featuring one of the country's best offensive players in Terrence Shannon Jr., could do absolutely nothing against the player Hurley calls Cling Kong.
Illinois scored four points in the first half when Clingan was on the floor. The 7-foot-2, 280-pound center had 9 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks in the first half. His presence at the rim - he has a 7-7 wingspan in addition to his height and strength - was a key part of Connecticut's 30-0 run that blew that game wide open.
Clingan finished the night with 22 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks and 3 steals in just 22 minutes.
Another incredible defensive performance for Donovan Clingan, absolutely shutting down Illinois in UConn's 77-52 blowout win to advance to the Final Four. 22 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks, 3 steals in just 22 minutes for the projected top-five pick. pic.twitter.com/8k3oIEBHcX
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) March 31, 2024
The 20-year-old's dominance at the rim should translate to the NBA. There are questions surrounding his ability to score away from the basket and he'll likely be relegated to playing drop coverage on defense, although he's big enough and nimble enough to excel at it in a Brook Lopez-type of way. He's already dealt with a foot injury at UConn, which is never a good sign for someone Clingan's size, and that's forced him to play limited minutes so far in his career.
But the pros outweigh the cons, especially for a team like the Blazers who could use the big man's defensive presence and rebounding and have playmaking guards who can find Clingan in good spots near the basket where he can get easy scoring opportunities.
No. 34: Tristan da Silva, F, Colorado
Cody Williams is the draft headliner for the Buffalos, but da Silva was the player who made the offense roll in Boulder. He's a versatile 6-foot-9 forward who's extremely unselfish but has the skill set to score when he has the space.
Da Silva averaged 16.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals while turning the ball over less than 2 times per game despite usually having the ball in his hands and playing almost 34 minutes a game for Colorado.
He's an excellent 3-point shooter - he shot 39.4 and 39.5 from deep in his junior and senior seasons, respectively. He also shot 49 percent from the floor and 84 percent from the free-throw line this year.
Da Silva would fit perfectly in Portland as a high-level role player or even as a fifth starter. He could take a chunk of Toumani Camara's minutes as a far more offensively gifted and versatile player.
No. 40: Harrison Ingram, F, North Carolina
Grabbing a combo forward like Ingram would be the perfect way to round out draft night for the Trail Blazers. The 6-foot-7, 235-pound junior was a Swiss army knife for the Tar Heels this season. He nearly averaged a double-double with 13.4 points and 9.7 rebounds while adding 1.5 steals per game.
With his athleticism, length and strength, Ingram defended guards, wings, forwards and even some small-ball centers for UNC. He flashed skill as a scorer as well, specifically as a shooter. He hit 38.5 percent of his threes while playing off of guards like Elliot Cadeau and ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis and spacing the floor for All-American center Armando Bacot.
Ingram would be a solid replacement for Jerami Grant whenever Portland decides to move on from the veteran forward. What the Carolina product might lack in scoring, he would make up for in other areas as a better defender and rebounder than Grant.