While they still have their sights set on the postseason, as they should with 41 games left to play in the 2019-20 campaign, the fact is that if the season ended today, the Trail Blazers would be in the lottery rather than the playoffs. Currently sitting in 10th place in the Western Conference, the Trail Blazers still have time to turn things around, but they'll need to make a move up the table sooner rather than later if they want to avoid missing the postseason for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
With that in mind, here are the most recent round of 2020 NBA mock drafts. As of now, Portland is a late lottery team, and thus, are selecting somewhere between 13th and 15th...
• Jonathan Givony at ESPN has the Trail Blazers selecting Obi Toppin, a 6-9 forward out of Dayton, with the 14th overall pick. Toppin, who will be 22 this March despite being just a sophomore, is averaging 19.5 points on 63 percent shooting from the field and 33 percent shooting from three, 7.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals in 29.9 minutes per game for the Flyers this season.
Givony mocks the second round as well, and with the 44th overall pick, the has Portland selecting senior guard Grant Riller out of Charleston. Riller, a 6-3 guard who has started 112 of his 119 games for the Cougars, is averaging 21.9 points on 52 percent shooting from the field and 33 percent shooting from three, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals in 32.2 minutes per game this season.
• Sam Vecenie at the Athletic has the Trail Blazers selecting Auburn freshman Isaac Okoro with the 14th overall pick...
A 6-6 freshman, Okoro is averaging 13.2 points on 57 percent shooting from the field and 24 percent shooting from three, 4.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 blocks in 15 games,, all starts, for the Tigers this season.
• Jeremy Woo at Sports Illustrated also has the Trail Blazers selecting Isaac Okoro with the 14th overall pick...
There's a belief among many personnel folks that players who shoot well from the free throw line can eventally become passable three-point shooters at the NBA level. To that end, Okoro is making is shooting 67 percent from the free throw line on an average of 4.3 attempts per game.
• Bryan Kalbrosky at USA Today's Rookie Wire has Portland selecting Olympiacos B forward Aleksej Pokusevski with the 13th overall pick...
Pokusevski just turned 18, making him one of the youngest players on the 2020 draft board. Also worth noting that the Trail Blazers haven't had an international player on their roster who they drafted since taking Victor Claver with the 22nd pick of the 2009 Draft, and even then, he didn't suit up for the Blazers until the 2012-13 season.
• Ricky O'Donnell at SBNation also has the Trail Blazers selecting sophomore forward Obi Toppin out of Dayton, albeit with the 13th overall pick...
It's obviously very early in the process, but not sure what to think about the 2020 Draft that a 22 year old from Dayton is projected to go in the late lottery. Then again, the Blazers have never had an issue selecting players out of small to midsized schools, though they do tend to be guards rather than forwards.
• It's a few weeks old at this point, but Kyle Boone at CBS Sports has the Trail Blazers selecting freshman Trendon Watford out of LSU with the 16th overall pick...
A 6-9 forward, Watford is averaging 13.1 points on 47 percent shooting from the field and 30 percent shooting from three, 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 30.1 minutes per game for the Tigers this season.