2025 Blazer Draft Prospects

[DeBlazerRiddem]

I think you draft with a emphasis on shooting as one of the final pieces to add to your team. That's the type of thing low-seeded playoff teams do, identify a weakness and find a guy whose strength complements your team, money-ball style.

We need to draft for two-way potential upside. Someone who is a good defender and can possibly grow into a great defender and someone who has some role they can contribute on offense with the possibility of growing into someone who can do a lot more than that. We still dont even have a "main" guy to build around, we need to find a Kawhi or a PG. Yeah that means a bit of a bigger risk, that means a longer timeline and more of a project. You don't bat 1000 on those guys, you don't even bat 500 but taking big swings is the only way to do it, going for a safer prospect with a more defined skillset and less room for growth is like bunting just to get on first.

That's not to say draft a non-shooter and hope for the best, just that shooting is one part of a larger picture we should be looking at, not the priority focus. I also wouldn't make any draft decisions based on the current team. We need changes, major changes, who we could be playing 5 years from now might be totally different.

Of course, my vision for the team and the front office's vision may be entirely different. I think they want to make the playoffs as soon as possible, long-term implications be damned.

[Norm2953]

Presumably Portland FRP at 11 will be from this group

Worried we get Demin or Queen... I like them but not on the Blazers (if you will).

Hopefully one of the teams ahead of Portland reaches for someone not on the invited list for Maluach has
Visa issues that might cause him to drop to one of the Texas teams who have Red State Senators who
negotiate with the Trump White House for an exception.

[DusterBuster]

Listening to 1080 this afternoon while working, Marang said the Blazers have held one private workout that no media was at with just a single player. Obviously no word on who the player was.

[Norm2953]

Presumably one of the 13 invited to the green room, likely one of the bottom 5 players

[Chanse503]

Listening to 1080 this afternoon while working, Marang said the Blazers have held one private workout that no media was at with just a single player. Obviously no word on who the player was.

Gut feeling is : Jakucionis or Demin

Wouldn’t be surprised they’re both gone before us at 11 - especially my guy Jakucionis, but I still don’t mind Demin or even trading down- way to much value on the board to not consider it.

[Village Idiot]

Listening to 1080 this afternoon while working, Marang said the Blazers have held one private workout that no media was at with just a single player. Obviously no word on who the player was.

Gut feeling is : Jakucionis or Demin

Wouldn’t be surprised they’re both gone before us at 11 - especially my guy Jakucionis, but I still don’t mind Demin or even trading down- way to much value on the board to not consider it.

I would guess Ace Bailey. Given the Sixers situation I would guess they are shopping the 3. I am very sceptical of him, but that would be my guess

[BlazersBroncos]

No idea how we would get Ace. I suppose we could offer EC and 11 for PG and 3. That would be surprising w/ the team being for sale - alot of money on the books. Also you assume PG13 starts so Camara is likely pushed to the bench, not to mention Ace is another F.

I suppose Camara + 11 for 3 could be in play? Would be surprised if PHI was interested in that. They are not a elite role player away.

That being said, its the type of big-swing this team needs. Regardless of how much I love Camara if the draft guys see Ace as a needle mover you make that deal.

Assume you could get 16 for Simons and your looking at something like Ace and Coward. Pretty nice haul.

[zzaj]

No idea how we would get Ace. I suppose we could offer EC and 11 for PG and 3. That would be surprising w/ the team being for sale - alot of money on the books. Also you assume PG13 starts so Camara is likely pushed to the bench, not to mention Ace is another F.

I suppose Camara + 11 for 3 could be in play? Would be surprised if PHI was interested in that. They are not a elite role player away.

That being said, its the type of big-swing this team needs. Regardless of how much I love Camara if the draft guys see Ace as a needle mover you make that deal.

Assume you could get 16 for Simons and your looking at something like Ace and Coward. Pretty nice haul.

Ace and Harper couldn't beat college teams, I doubt Ace and Coward are going to do much better. I'm not an Ace believer at all...in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up falling a bit. I could see a world where both Johnson, Edgecombe and Kon get drafted before him.

I like Coward though...and agree that this is the type of swing that just screams Cronin move.

[BlazersBroncos]

No idea how we would get Ace. I suppose we could offer EC and 11 for PG and 3. That would be surprising w/ the team being for sale - alot of money on the books. Also you assume PG13 starts so Camara is likely pushed to the bench, not to mention Ace is another F.

I suppose Camara + 11 for 3 could be in play? Would be surprised if PHI was interested in that. They are not a elite role player away.

That being said, its the type of big-swing this team needs. Regardless of how much I love Camara if the draft guys see Ace as a needle mover you make that deal.

Assume you could get 16 for Simons and your looking at something like Ace and Coward. Pretty nice haul.

Ace and Harper couldn't beat college teams, I doubt Ace and Coward are going to do much better. I'm not an Ace believer at all...in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up falling a bit. I could see a world where both Johnson, Edgecombe and Kon get drafted before him.

I like Coward though...and agree that this is the type of swing that just screams Cronin move.

I am not an Ace believer either. I go back and forth on moving Noa ahead of him. He just seems like a slow processor who settles for crappy shots. FTr wasnt great. Shooting wasnt great. Passing is absysmal.

That being said, I would trust the scouting dept if they saw a ball of clay with serious needle moving upside.

[Chanse503]

I suppose Camara + 11 for 3 could be in play?

That’s terrifying- I don’t trust Bailey at all and get the same vibes Ben McLemore had coming out.

What’s Baileys absolute best case scenario-maybe Michael Porter Jr? Upside and potential is there I guess; however, I’m still higher on a kid like Tre Johnson if we moved up.

Johnson carried that Texas squad as a freshman and made the tournament, while Bailey and Harper didn’t even make it.

Watch on YouTube

Johnson’s shooting, and 3pt threat is much needed with a ceiling of like Allan Houston or Micheal Redd.

Also gives us an excuse to not over pay Sharpe potentially.

Watch on YouTube

;t=490s

^This guy’s big board aligns with me minus Queen- who I think is going to be a massive bust- his combine numbers are terrible and just bad vibes from him.

My favorite snipe/gamble if we could get a late first/early second- Drake Powell- he had the tools to be an elite defender in the Herb Jones zone.

Also Noa Essengue if it’s late and no way at 11. These kinda guys are the types I take a chance on late but not at 11.

I’m almost DAMN certain in my gut we deal Simons for a magic package and I’m fine with 25 and 46.

[Walton1one]

Listening to 1080 this afternoon while working, Marang said the Blazers have held one private workout that no media was at with just a single player. Obviously, no word on who the player was.

I would not be surprised if there were a few private workouts already. If they end up drafting one of those players then we will be able to see video of the workout.

[DusterBuster]

Listening to 1080 this afternoon while working, Marang said the Blazers have held one private workout that no media was at with just a single player. Obviously, no word on who the player was.

I would not be surprised if there were a few private workouts already. If they end up drafting one of those players then we will be able to see video of the workout.

I suspect it's Demin.

[BlazersBroncos]

Lets compare Ace to Noa -

Age
AB 18.85
NE 18.50

Height
AB 6'8.75
NE 6'10

Wingspan
AB 7'0.5
NE 6'11

Weight
AB 203lbs
NE 199lbs

Max Vert
AB 34.5"
NE 35.5"

Standing Reach
AB 8'11"
NE 9'2"

TS%
AB .536
NE .646

EFG%
AB .514
NE .600

3PTar - Find this shocking, figured AB would have a much higher % here -
AB .308
NE .272

FTar
AB .243
NE .800

Proj NBA 3PT % - Another shocker being so close, granted not sure how this is calculated -
AB .346
NE .335

AST/TO - Ace is generationally bad here -
AB 0.62
NE 1.11

FT%
AB .692
NE .730

Per36
AB 19ppg (15.9 shots) / 7.7rpg / 1.4apg / 1.4bpg / 1.1spg / 2.2TO / 3PF / 1.7-4.9 3PT / 2.7-3.9 FT
NE 18.8ppg (10.5 shots) / 8.0rpg / 1.7apg / 0.8bpg / 2.1spg / 1.5TP / 4PF / 0.8-2.9 3PT / 6.2-8.4 FT

Note the Noa measurements are from a year ago so its likely he has bulked up and potentially even grown a bit. Now granted I cant find a shot chart for Noa - but Ace, who is touted as a mid-ranged creator (Not even the best thing to be touted for in this day and age IMO) -

Stepback Jumper - 4/16 25%
Turnaround Jumper - 19/37 51%
Pullup Jumper - 35/85 41%
Jumper - 71/193 36.8%

That is pretty meh IMO. Granted the volume is going to be WAY higher for Ace vs Noa in terms of shots not-3 and not-at-rim.

All this being said, I am taking the stance that I have felt for some time - Noa is at minimum a prospect that should be in the same conversation as Ace Bailey.

[Tim Lehrbach]

It will be interesting to see if the masses are on to something come draft night -- the turn against Ace Bailey is gaining steam. I too predict he drops, but I don't know anything.

I still need to watch Coward more. Sure like what I'm reading, although what I'm still not learning about is what sells his high-end potential. The Dame narrative comp is interesting, but Dame was clearly, in retrospect, a mischaracterized prospect until right before his draft when his stock rightfully soared. You see his college tape and the footwork, handles, and acceleration look elite, even though he was unproven reading, playmaking, and finishing against high-caliber defenses. Does Coward stand out in that way, such the he merits a lottery selection, as Dame ultimately did and then far exceeded any reasonable expectations for? What is Coward's NBA-elite attribute? Simply being a good shooter is a necessary but not sufficient condition for NBA success, let alone stardom. I'm not skeptical, just ignorant. I want to be excited about a prospect in Portland's range!

[Tim Lehrbach]

I'm not gonna admit this everywhere lol, but for all the hyping I've done of Dylan Harper, the doubters have gotten in my head a little bit. I still see the elite acceleration, agility, and body control that scream star prospect, his passing and handles are at minimum solid, and of course I just dig the confidence, man -- he's the second best guy in this class. But there's so much work to do on his overall game and, though this isn't his fault, we have no evidence of him adapting to anything but a primitive, weak NCAA team's iso-heavy game, and even that was hardly a smashing individual or team success. I just find myself not having answers to the doubts raised about his readiness from both a poise and skills perspective. The potential is undeniable but the question marks are real.

[BlazersBroncos]

Michael Finley might be a decent Coward comparison.

Coward was a post player early on and has a nice back-to-basket game / turnaround much like Finley. They both had excellent physiques, Finley reportedly with a 37-40" vertical and 6'10 WS. Both were + passers for their position, Finley a 37% career 3PT guy on high volume for the time (And 37% back then was like 40% today IMO). Finley topped out at about a 3rd option, arguably a low end 2nd option, which is what I see Coward at if the stars align. Michael was a 22yo rookie, Coward will be about 22 as well. Seems like a reasonable high end outcome for Coward IMO. Certainly worth a nice draft slot.

I know Finley was only a meh defender, I expect Cowards defensive ceiling to be higher - but I dont see an elite, Camara level defender when I watch Coward personally.

[Walton1one]

Edgecombe @ #3 picking up steam, damm if that isn't a small, but dynamic backcourt with Maxey - McCain & Edgecombe. Not a fan of small backcourts (I wonder why?) but that could be intriguing.

Read on Twitter

[Chanse503]

Lets compare Ace to Noa -

Can you do this with Jakucionis n Demin?

ESPN mocks are usually pretty damn sharp:

[zzaj]

Lets compare Ace to Noa -

Age
AB 18.85
NE 18.50

Height
AB 6'8.75
NE 6'10

Wingspan
AB 7'0.5
NE 6'11

Weight
AB 203lbs
NE 199lbs

Max Vert
AB 34.5"
NE 35.5"

Standing Reach
AB 8'11"
NE 9'2"

TS%
AB .536
NE .646

EFG%
AB .514
NE .600

3PTar - Find this shocking, figured AB would have a much higher % here -
AB .308
NE .272

FTar
AB .243
NE .800

Proj NBA 3PT % - Another shocker being so close, granted not sure how this is calculated -
AB .346
NE .335

AST/TO - Ace is generationally bad here -
AB 0.62
NE 1.11

FT%
AB .692
NE .730

Per36
AB 19ppg (15.9 shots) / 7.7rpg / 1.4apg / 1.4bpg / 1.1spg / 2.2TO / 3PF / 1.7-4.9 3PT / 2.7-3.9 FT
NE 18.8ppg (10.5 shots) / 8.0rpg / 1.7apg / 0.8bpg / 2.1spg / 1.5TP / 4PF / 0.8-2.9 3PT / 6.2-8.4 FT

Note the Noa measurements are from a year ago so its likely he has bulked up and potentially even grown a bit. Now granted I cant find a shot chart for Noa - but Ace, who is touted as a mid-ranged creator (Not even the best thing to be touted for in this day and age IMO) -

Stepback Jumper - 4/16 25%
Turnaround Jumper - 19/37 51%
Pullup Jumper - 35/85 41%
Jumper - 71/193 36.8%

That is pretty meh IMO. Granted the volume is going to be WAY higher for Ace vs Noa in terms of shots not-3 and not-at-rim.

All this being said, I am taking the stance that I have felt for some time - Noa is at minimum a prospect that should be in the same conversation as Ace Bailey.

Agreed with all of that. That FT rate for Ace is soooo bad. I thought that Ace measured out at only like 6'7" and a half at the combine? So much for all the 6'11" "durant clone" nonsense...

[zzaj]

I'm not gonna admit this everywhere lol, but for all the hyping I've done of Dylan Harper, the doubters have gotten in my head a little bit. I still see the elite acceleration, agility, and body control that scream star prospect, his passing and handles are at minimum solid, and of course I just dig the confidence, man -- he's the second best guy in this class. But there's so much work to do on his overall game and, though this isn't his fault, we have no evidence of him adapting to anything but a primitive, weak NCAA team's iso-heavy game, and even that was hardly a smashing individual or team success. I just find myself not having answers to the doubts raised about his readiness from both a poise and skills perspective. The potential is undeniable but the question marks are real.

I'm with you somewhat...I think there's a big drop off from Flagg to Harper.

I think Flagg is going to come in and impact winning right away in his first year--just not in a 28/5/5 way. Harper simply hasn't shown that he has the tools to do that immediately. He may in time become a great player, but my prediction is that he struggles for at least a couple of years. PG is hard, and usually takes time...and if a team isn't drafting him as a PG then they have other issues to deal with.