With the advancing influence of Name Image Likeness (NIL) deals in college hoops, the NBA Draft’s early entry numbers have reached their lowest point in years. Players who might otherwise duke it out for an end-of-bench roster spot during the combine or pro days are increasingly opting to return to school with secured NIL deals.
Some players have left smaller schools via the NCAA transfer portal, where athletes can ply their trades in more competitive conferences to garner more exposure. Those players had until June 15—ten days before the draft—to withdraw and return to school or overseas pro teams.
Many players chose to withdraw this year, choosing NIL money or proven opportunities over the sheer uncertainty of being a second-round pick with an unguaranteed salary. Players who choose to eschew NIL money are increasingly becoming edge cases, but feedback from team representatives at workouts can pay dividends.
In 2023, the NBA’s two-way contract program expanded to three per team, up from two in prior years. Two-way contracts are non-guaranteed deals that supplement an NBA team’s roster, with the provision that they do not exceed 45 days with the main club, spending the remainder of the time with the team’s G-league affiliate. Two-way players cannot exceed four years of NBA experience; think of those with three years of experience as “expiring contracts.”
The Blazers have two such players with that much experience: Bryce McGowans and Justin Minaya. If there’s mutual interest between the Blazers and a worthwhile two-way project, there’s a chance they find themselves on an opening night roster instead of McGowans or Minaya. These are a few players who could easily step into that role.
Paul Zilinskas, IU Indianapolis
Players like Duncan Robinson have proven to be valuable additions to playoff teams -- questionable defenders that can make it rain from deep. One of the deepest sleepers in this draft, Paul Zilinskas of IU Indianapolis, is a shooter in the purest form.
Playing for the Jaguars after spending three years at Division II school Quincy University, Zilinskas is a certified bucket-getter. Half of his entire shot diet comes from behind the arc in a purely half-court offense that no one player really seems to control, and he converts them at a 41 percent clip. It's the same story at the line as well, where he cans 89.4 percent of those.
Watching the film of Zilinskas, one would come away wondering how his percentages might be affected when playing with an NBA-caliber point guard. As it is, Zilinskas spends the entire game running around and trying to get open and draining tough shots. Some of his at-the-rim attempts need a little polish, but that's to be expected when the facilitation is lacking.
As a motion shooter who has above-average off-ball movement, Zilinskas is the type of player you want out there with a defense-heavy lineup to catch and shoot with deadly accuracy.
Steve Settle, Temple
Update: Steve Settle has been signed to an Exhibit 10 contract by the Miami Heat.
Players who average a block and a steal while shooting over 40 percent from three at the power forward position are an extreme rarity when the curtain falls on the second round of the draft. One such player is Steve Settle, standing at 6'10".
Settle's season has taken a backseat to that of Jamal Mashburn Jr., son of the former NBA player. Mashburn has never met a shot he didn't like, playing a full 36 minutes per game while shooting 41 percent from the field yet still scoring 22 points per game.
While Settle's star power may be overshadowed on an otherwise dreadful Temple team, his game speaks for itself with a truly unique combination of moves and mobility. Temple plays in the American conference—not particularly renowned for its level of competition—but Temple played a ranked opponent twice last season, and Settle performed well in those contests.
Like Anton Watson of 2024's draft, Settle should find himself playing the role of a high-end connector piece that does whatever the lineup he's playing with lacks; otherwise, he is just what the Blazers should be looking for with an undrafted gamble.
Kadary Richmond, St. John’s
Update: Kadary Richmond has been signed to a UDFA contract by the Washington Wizards.
In the wake of his contract extension, Blazers GM Joe Cronin gave an end-of-year press conference where he stated that a strong defensive identity is something on which the Blazers of the future will hang their collective hat.
One such player that exemplifies this newfound cultural building block is Kadary Richmond—a dynamic two-way jumbo point guard who brings unrivaled defensive intensity every night. While "unrivaled" may be a bit hyperbolic in most cases, it isn't here; Richmond led the entire country in defensive win shares this season while leading the Big East—a tough conference including Dan Hurley's UConn—in defensive rating and defensive box plus/minus.
Chronic Tankathon surfers will be quick to point out his horrific shooting splits this season. But he's a fifth-year player who has averaged 35 percent from three and 74 percent from the line over his career, numbers that are hardly abysmal even if they won't scorch the net.
Richmond's size allows him to close out tight ball games from either guard slot, and a lineup of him plus Holiday, Avdija, Camara, and Clingan would prove among the best defensive lineups in the entire league.
Norchad Omier, Baylor
Update: Norchad Omier has been signed to an Exhibit 10 contract by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Consistency is the key with Omier, an undersized power forward with the rare combination of brute strength and finesse. Averaging a double-double in all five years across three different schools and conferences, Omier ended his college career leading the Big 12 conference in rebounding after having led his other teams and conferences in nearly every rebounding statistic.
Omier plays a lot like one of 2025's lottery picks—Collin Murray-Boyles—trading passing skills for rebounding. With that being said, Omier is still a decent passer who's on equal footing with CMB in nearly every other category, such as CMB's much-vaunted defense, while besting him in some advanced analytics with PER and all win-share types among them.
Portland proved two years ago that college seniors can contribute right away with Camara. Omier could walk right onto a team that's about to wrap up its rebuild campaign.