The 2024 NBA Draft Lottery might not have gone exactly way the Trail Blazers would have preferred, though there's still plenty of cause for optimism with the seventh, 14th, 34th and 40th picks at their disposal. With no clear-cut consensus, even at the very top of the 2024 Draft, having multiple picks in the lottery gives Joe Cronin and his staff just about every option, from selecting best player available, drafting for need and/or using the picks as assets in trades. In more well-regarded drafts, you'd always want to have the highest picks possible, but in THIS draft, it's very plausible, maybe even likely, that teams will be able to get players they feel are the best options for their teams further down the lottery.
Want proof of that notion? Then check out the first round of mock drafts posted after the draft order was locked in at the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery. For example, the ESPN mock draft has French forward Zaccharie Risacher going to the Wizards with the second overall pick, while multiple other mock drafts have Risacher available when Portland is on the clock for the seventh pick. Same idea with UCONN center Donovan Clingan, who Kevin O'Connor at The Ringer has going to Washington at two, but Jonathan Wasserman at The Bleacher Report has going to Portland at seven. It's still early in the process, but I've been putting these posts together for going on 20 years and I can't ever remember that much variance in the Top 10.
So here's the first crack at mocking the draft by those who follow it the closest...
• Jon Givony and Jeremy Woo at ESPN have the Trail Blazers selecting 18 year old Serbian point guard Nikola Topic with the seventh overall pick...
The Blazers aren't far enough along in their rebuild to worry too much about positional fit, and Topic's combination of size and playmaking ability differentiates his skill set from the guards they already have on the roster. Portland can take a swing on the best available talent here, envisioning Topic as part of a multi-playmaker attack alongside Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons. At this spot in the draft, Topic is an intriguing bet, with his feel and passing ability likely to help enhance opportunities for others around him.
And with the 14th pick, the folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers selecting another 18 year old European, French forward Tidjane Salaun...
Salaun would be another intriguing addition to Portland's frontcourt, helping to balance out a guard-heavy roster. His potential to space the floor, supply energy and versatility, and that he doesn't need designed touches, makes him an interesting fit with the future in mind. Salaun is still raw in important areas of his game -- he'll need seasoning and time to reach his potential -- but he should be an appealing project if he can make strides as a shooter and decision-maker.
• Krysten Peek at Yahoo! Sports has the Trail Blazers selecting guard/forward Ron Holland of now-defunct G League Ignite at seven...
Holland was a high-volume scorer on a struggling Ignite team, but teams might look past his score-first instincts with the lack of playmakers on the team this year. He's one of the best defensive forwards in this class, averaging 2.3 steals per game.
And at 14, Peek has Portland selecting Yves Missi, a freshman center out of Baylor...
Missi's combination of size, rim protection and great hands could see him sneak into the lottery during the pre-draft process while working out individually for teams. He averaged 10.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in 23 minutes for Baylor during his freshman year.
• Kevin O'Connor at The Ringer has Portland selecting 19 year old French forward Zaccharie Risacher with their first pick of the first round...
Scoot Henderson’s strong close to the season should make the Blazers feel optimistic heading into the summer. Now the priority is about finding the right fit next to their young point guard, which is why Risacher is the choice here with his flashes of shot-making as a high-end role player who could flourish with a smaller playmaking guard.
And with their second pick of the first round, O'Connor has the Trail Blazers taking Ja'Kobe Walker, a 6-5 freshman guard out of Baylor...
With their second lottery pick, the Blazers could roll with a player like Walter, who was projected far higher by some evaluators (including myself) ahead of the college season. Walter didn’t meet expectations but still flashed enticing scoring upside that could be a great fit next to Henderson, Risacher, and Sharpe.
• Sam Vecenie at The Athletic has Portland selecting Dalton Knecht, a 6-6 senior guard/forward out of Tennessee...
Knecht scored at a dizzying pace, averaging 25.5 points in 18 SEC games while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from 3. Overall, he averaged 21.7 points per game on 46 percent from the field, but those stats are dragged down by a stretch during which he played at less than 100 percent following an ankle injury against North Carolina.
Great college players aren’t always great NBA players, but the style of Knecht’s game makes him a likely lottery pick. Everything he does offensively should translate to NBA settings. Not only is he a terrific shooter, proficient in spot-up situations and off movement, but he’s also a higher-end athlete than most floor spacers. He can sky in transition and finish inside with hang time. He simply has a knack for scoring.
The draft gets a bit wild here. I’m not sure any of the remaining top prospects included in the 7-10 range in the NBA’s memo outlining medical information access make a ton of sense for the Blazers. Knecht can knock down shots at a high level next to Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe long term, which would be very valuable.
And at 14, Vecenie has the Trail Blazers going with French forward Tidjane Salaun out of Cholet...
Salaun is a big forward with some perimeter skill. The 6-9 prospect has been productive in the French League and Basketball Champions League this season, averaging 9.5 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 32 percent from behind the 3-point line. He has a smooth stroke and also shows some upside handling the ball in transition.
Teams worry about Salaun’s feel for the game and overall skill level, but he’s enormous, plays hard and defends. I get the sense that team evaluators are higher on him than folks in the public. The Blazers love to take shots on upside, as shown by their run of picks under Joe Cronin’s front office, and Salaun would represent a big swing.
• Kyle Boone at CBS Sports has Portland selecting Reed Shepard, a freshman guard out of Kentucky, with the seventh pick...
Portland lands the best shooter in the draft to pair with No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson from last year. Sheppard hit 52.1% of his 3-pointers last season as a frosh at Kentucky and adds dynamism as both a playmaking defender and passer as well.
At 14, Boone has the Trail Blazers selecting Kyle Filipowski, a sophomore center out of Duke...
First Portland adds shooting in Reed Sheppard now it adds size + shooting in Filipowski, a 7-footer with real talent as a floor-spacer and offensive hub. He was vital to Duke's success the last two seasons and had a career year last season as a dynamic big who can do a little of everything.
• Jonathan Wasserman at Bleacher Report has Portland selecting Donovan Clingan, a sophomore center out of UCONN, with the seventh overall pick...
Portland Trail Blazers won't be able to resist Donovan Clingan's defensive upside for their interior, despite Deandre Ayton finishing the year strong.
With his exceptional pick-and-roll defense and outstanding rim protection, coupled with his towering 7'2" size and great mobility, he's a good fit for Portland's young guards as he would provide them with a reliable target for easy baskets.
Despite only attempting eight three-pointers this season, he always appears comfortable and confident during warm-ups. Displaying his range during workouts could convince one of the top-five drafting teams to consider him early.
Seven spots latter, Wasserman has Portland taking Ja'Kobe Walter out of Baylor...
After struggling during the Big 12 tournament, Ja'Kobe Walter scored 19 and 20 points against Colgate and Clemson, respectively, in the NCAAs. He showed exactly what the scouting report read all season: Catch-and-shoot shotmaking, physical line-driving and limited creativity off the dribble.
In 35 games, he had 75 threes, 145 made free throws and just 50 assists—numbers that clearly reflect his strengths and weaknesses.
Walter figures to interest late-lottery to mid-first-round teams that could use more wing depth and see a three-and-D rotation player.
• Kyle Irving at The Sporting News has Portland selecting Zaccharie Risacher with the seventh overall pick...
The Trail Blazers are rebuilding around a young core of Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe and Deandre Ayton. They have a surplus of explosive guards but could use a floor-spacing perimeter shooter. That's why Risacher is worth a roll of the dice.
Risacher caught fire from beyond the arc at the start of the season for JL Bourg but has since cooled off. He is still shooting a respectable 34.9 percent from 3 through 31 LNB Pro A games, but that's down a full 10 percentage points from his hot start. Averaging 10.1 points as a teenager in one of the best leagues in the world is still no easy feat. He has become one of the more polarizing players in this class but his potential is undeniable.
With the 14th pick, Irving has Portland going with Jared McCain, a freshman guard out of Duke...
More shooting for Portland. After going with Risacher at No. 4 in this mock, the Trail Blazers could add another combo guard to their rotation in McCain.
McCain fits a need as a connective playmaker with a 3-and-D skill set that should seamlessly translate to the NBA. Even though he is only a 20-year-old freshman, McCain plays with poise and confidence that is beyond his age.
His two 30-point explosions in the NCAA Tournament launched him into lottery consideration.
• Ricky O'Donnell at SBNation has Portland selecting Donovan Clingan with the seventh pick...
Clingan tied together UConn’s back-to-back national championship teams with his monster combination of size and rim protection. At 7’2 with a reported 7’7 wingspan, Clingan will be among the biggest players in the NBA from the day he’s drafted. He has an easy translation as a shot-blocking center in drop coverage who will put a lid on the rim. Clingan showed a bit more quickness and coverage versatility defensively as a sophomore, and his starring role against Zach Edey in the national championship game now has some thinking he could be a candidate for No. 1 overall. We still have a few concerns. Clingan only played 49 percent of available minutes for UConn all season, and topped 30 minutes in a game just four times as a sophomore. How often can he stay on the floor? Clingan is also only a 55.8 percent free throw shooter and a total non-threat from three. His interior finishing is good-not-great because he isn’t an explosive leaper. His best offensive skill set is his passing, where he can used as a hub for dribble-handoffs, and has an ability to hit cutters. Mostly, a team would be drafting Clingan for his defense and shot-blocking, and it could still return top value in a weaker draft.
And at 14, O'Donnell has the Trail Blazers going with another big, Tidjane Saluan out of France...
Salaum offers the promise of a supersized dribble/pass/shoot forward who is still just scratching the surface of what he could one day become. At the moment, Salaum still has a long way to go: his feel for the game is still developing to put it kindly, he struggles to score inside the arc, and his three-point shot runs cold more than hot. On the other hand, there’s no discounting Salaun’s tools: he’s massive for a forward at 6’9 with a 7’2 wingspan, he’s money from the free throw line (79 percent), and he doesn’t turn 19 until Aug. He needs to be thought of as a long-term developmental prospect, but his ceiling is high enough to get someone to bite inside the top-20.
•