2025 Blazer Draft Prospects

[dckingsfan]

Who’s Penda?

Noah Penda. I haven't seen him ranked above 19 before... but you never know.

He is a SF at 6'7" with a 7-foot wingspan, two way player. He is a bit older... I would say he is NBA defensive ready. From the games I saw he makes good defensive decisions (if you will). I think he can guard 2-4. He is a really good on-ball defender because of his "quickness". He is not really much of an off-ball defender.

Offense is a work in progress in terms of his shot - he is improving.

My take is if I was Brooklyn I would take him 26/27, maybe. Second round - for sure.

I kind of like Hugo Gonzalez better - again as a late first or second round pick.

[Wizenheimer]

Who’s Penda?

Noah Penda

https://www.nbadraft.net/players/noah-penda/

euro-stats (53% on two's; 20% on three's; 69% on FT's...not very good):

https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/players/noah-penda-1.html

[Norm2953]

Is there no shortage of French guys in this draft?

[tester551]

Noa was measured and it was about as freakish as one could expect -

6'10" barefoot
204lbs
7'1" wingspan
9'2" standing reach
9" hand length
10.75" hand width

That makes him 6'11 in shoes FWIW. That standing reach is 1.5 inches from Dwight Howard. The hand length is amongst the best ever with Leonard being the gold standard at 9.75 and 11.25. He has grown across the board in the past year and who knows if its even over.

The fact Noa moves the way he does with the above measurements is not normal. Unfortunate that he will be gone by the time we pick.

Read on Twitter

Just about to post this, very good measurements

I agree with what Vecenie said about him, a lot of people think he can be a wing like Siakam, however, he’s probably more likely to be a big, but there are questions if he can put on enough weight/get strong enough to handle that position

Last year, I was all in on Tidjane Salaun, hook, line and sinker. Turns out he's so raw, he was not ready to contribute in his rookie season.

I get the appeal of a 6'10" rookie who can walk and chew gum at the same time, but I'm concerned that by the time he's ready to contribute, most of the Blazers "good players" are going to be finishing up their next contracts.

Salaun is no where near the prospect that Noa is IMO.
Comparing the two just indicates the level of evaluation performed...

[BlazersBroncos]

Read on Twitter

Just about to post this, very good measurements

I agree with what Vecenie said about him, a lot of people think he can be a wing like Siakam, however, he’s probably more likely to be a big, but there are questions if he can put on enough weight/get strong enough to handle that position

Last year, I was all in on Tidjane Salaun, hook, line and sinker. Turns out he's so raw, he was not ready to contribute in his rookie season.

I get the appeal of a 6'10" rookie who can walk and chew gum at the same time, but I'm concerned that by the time he's ready to contribute, most of the Blazers "good players" are going to be finishing up their next contracts.

Salaun is no where near the prospect that Noa is IMO.
Comparing the two just indicates the level of evaluation performed...

Ya I had Salaun like late 20s on my board and think Noa can push for 3 this year. Everyone is different but man we just be seeing totally different players if anyone can compare Noa to Salaun.

[Butter]

Read on Twitter

Just about to post this, very good measurements

I agree with what Vecenie said about him, a lot of people think he can be a wing like Siakam, however, he’s probably more likely to be a big, but there are questions if he can put on enough weight/get strong enough to handle that position

Last year, I was all in on Tidjane Salaun, hook, line and sinker. Turns out he's so raw, he was not ready to contribute in his rookie season.

I get the appeal of a 6'10" rookie who can walk and chew gum at the same time, but I'm concerned that by the time he's ready to contribute, most of the Blazers "good players" are going to be finishing up their next contracts.

Salaun is no where near the prospect that Noa is IMO.
Comparing the two just indicates the level of evaluation performed...

Wow, that's pretty harsh. Reread my post and show me specifically where I compared Salauns basketball skills to Noa?

What I said was, both players are raw, and I think it's going to take time before Noa is ready to participate at the NBA level.

He's 6'10 and 200 lbs. His perimeter shooting is streaky at best. I get it, he looked good against the Blazers in the preseason game.

Essengue back in October of last year, during an NBA preseason game between Ratiopharm Ulm and the Portland Trail Blazers. It was an ideal showcase for Essengue, who scored 20 points (and hit three 3-pointers) and logged eight rebounds. He showed he belonged, and he hadn’t even turned 18 yet.

But... that's like saying Scoot looked good against Wemby in one game.

Noa may have the highest ceiling at 11, but he may also have the lowest floor RIGHT NOW. As the Blazers seem to be focused on winning sooner than later, I think they'd be better to focus on the higher floor player now, and accept a potentially lower ceiling, but minimize the bust potential.

Who knows, it's the draft. It's not an exact science.

[oldfishermen]

I still like Coward, and believe he will have a long NBA career. However, after watching more film, i am lowing his ceiling, a little.

While not a perfect comparision, his skills remind me of Thybulle. The very player he would compete with for minutes.

Coward is the better shooter than Thybulle. And a much much better defender than Simons. Coward would only fit on the Blazers IF Simons and/or Thybulle are traded. If not, then drafting for another position makes more sense.

Who should the Blazers draft? I don't have a clue. A big trade for a proven young NBA player that includes #11 may make more sense, than trying to land the biggest fish in this muddy draft pond.

[Butter]

I still like Coward, and believe he will have a long NBA career. However, after watching more film, i am lowing his ceiling, a little.

While not a perfect comparision, his skills remind me of Thybulle. The very player he would compete with for minutes.

Coward is the better shooter than Thybulle. And a much much better defender than Simons. Coward would only fit on the Blazers IF Simons and/or Thybulle are traded. If not, then drafting for another position makes more sense.

Who should the Blazers draft? I don't have a clue. A big trade for a proven young NBA player that includes #11 may make more sense, than trying to land the biggest fish in this muddy draft pond.

You sold me with the bold part

[HoopsFanAZ]

It’s noted about Coward that he needs to clean up some play on D, though his want-to with size and length has him projectable as a good defender. His rebounding is a serious plus. His shot and low-post game show a decently diverse game already. Even drafted at 11, a re-draft in 3-4 years could find him much higher. His floor looks good and has simply gotten better — surprisingly to me, I see him as a “safer pick” for the Blazers.

[DeBlazerRiddem]

The big difference to me between Essengue and Saluan (and Newell for that matter) is that to me it looks like Noa plays more like a combo forward SF/PF and the other two play more like PF/C.

Noa attacks the paint very well, maybe better than both of those guys, but he usually does so starting from the perimeter, either with a straight line drive using his length/mobility to beat defenders or by cutting off ball and finishing (he has really good hands, catches a lot of tough passes and makes himself a huge target).

Salaun and Newell to me have more of a traditional center's skillset. They don't do a ton of driving from the perimeter. At least if I remember correctly.

Final raw boxscore numbers can end up looking the same for both, and I am not surprised the latter two would have better efficiency (Noa's superior ability to draw fouls helps bridge some of that), but in terms of how they get those results I think Essengue's skillset has a higher ceiling and more room for growth to it.

It is overly optimistic to think Noa will develop like Giannis did but he's a similar "unicorn" type prospect. Maybe he doesn't fulfill all our hopes and dreams of a PG or Kawhi type draft pick, I think he still ends up a fine NBA player though. But he has the upside where it is very possible that in 5 years a lot of the 5-10 teams that pass on him (assuming he ends up available at our pick) will be kicking themselves for not believing in him and taking the chance. So I say you take those swings, live with a few misses because a single hit can be franchise changing. Everyone hates missing an OG Anunoby type player (Bryant) but you can live with that, however if you miss a PG/Kawhi/Giannis player who gets drafted in the teens then you remember that. Again not saying Noa is absolutely certainly going to be that good, he has a lot of projection and growth to even be in that conversation, but there is at least a glimmer of hope there.

[BlazersBroncos]

The big difference to me between Essengue and Saluan (and Newell for that matter) is that to me it looks like Noa plays more like a combo forward SF/PF and the other two play more like PF/C.

Noa attacks the paint very well, maybe better than both of those guys, but he usually does so starting from the perimeter, either with a straight line drive using his length/mobility to beat defenders or by cutting off ball and finishing (he has really good hands, catches a lot of tough passes and makes himself a huge target).

Salaun and Newell to me have more of a traditional center's skillset. They don't do a ton of driving from the perimeter. At least if I remember correctly.

Final raw boxscore numbers can end up looking the same for both, and I am not surprised the latter two would have better efficiency (Noa's superior ability to draw fouls helps bridge some of that), but in terms of how they get those results I think Essengue's skillset has a higher ceiling and more room for growth to it.

It is overly optimistic to think Noa will develop like Giannis did but he's a similar "unicorn" type prospect. Maybe he doesn't fulfill all our hopes and dreams of a PG or Kawhi type draft pick, I think he still ends up a fine NBA player though. But he has the upside where it is very possible that in 5 years a lot of the 5-10 teams that pass on him (assuming he ends up available at our pick) will be kicking themselves for not believing in him and taking the chance. So I say you take those swings, live with a few misses because a single hit can be franchise changing. Everyone hates missing an OG Anunoby type player (Bryant) but you can live with that, however if you miss a PG/Kawhi/Giannis player who gets drafted in the teens then you remember that. Again not saying Noa is absolutely certainly going to be that good, he has a lot of projection and growth to even be in that conversation, but there is at least a glimmer of hope there.

Amen. Take the big swing.


Going for a shooter for example to round out a talent base that leans on Demi Avdija as the teams top option is INSANE. And I love Deni. But it’s not like we’re sitting on a clear cut franchise player. If we want to actually compete you keep swinging big. If we want to be a low seed small market ‘2nd round is like a ring’ team go for the immediate fit / impact guy.

[Norm2953]

Ten days left before draft day

How optimistic are we that Portland will make any big moves in a loaded western conference
with strong teams like OKC, Houston, Denver, Minnesota, and GSW with teams like
Dallas, SA adding the top rookies. Is Portland capable of competing with a 50 win team like
LAC which won 50 games last season, Lakers, Sacramento or are they destined to once take
up the rear with Sacramento, Phoenix, NO, Memphis and the Jazz

Is doing nothing and waiting for Ayton/Simons/Thybulle, etc to finally expire the best course
of action?

[Dame Lizard]

Ten days left before draft day

How optimistic are we that Portland will make any big moves in a loaded western conference
with strong teams like OKC, Houston, Denver, Minnesota, and GSW with teams like
Dallas, SA adding the top rookies. Is Portland capable of competing with a 50 win team like
LAC which won 50 games last season, Lakers, Sacramento or are they destined to once take
up the rear with Sacramento, Phoenix, NO, Memphis and the Jazz

Is doing nothing and waiting for Ayton/Simons/Thybulle, etc to finally expire the best course
of action?

Unfortunately we have no direction, and that is unlikely to change. Or best asset by far is Deni and his best contract in the league status (ignoring players like Shai who are MVP calibre).

However if we're a treadmill team over his bargain years, we're not exactly making the most of this contract. By the time we'll be playoff ready he'll be earning $40m per season likely.

My only hope is that we swing for the fences with a Noa/Carter Bryant style draft pick. If we pick Demin or Queen it'll be a depressing offseason. Neither player suits our system, and neither (particularly Demin who is seriously flawed) are good enough to change the system for.

[Tim Lehrbach]

Ten days left before draft day

How optimistic are we that Portland will make any big moves in a loaded western conference
with strong teams like OKC, Houston, Denver, Minnesota, and GSW with teams like
Dallas, SA adding the top rookies. Is Portland capable of competing with a 50 win team like
LAC which won 50 games last season, Lakers, Sacramento or are they destined to once take
up the rear with Sacramento, Phoenix, NO, Memphis and the Jazz

Is doing nothing and waiting for Ayton/Simons/Thybulle, etc to finally expire the best course
of action?

I am sure it is no secret that I am not optimistic about this team's chances, as-is.

However, I do expect that Cronin is blowing up other GMs' phones, trying to move up in the draft or land a big-ish fish using a collection of Portland's assets. I believe the Blazers probably consider last year's winning streak a proof of concept and want to shore up the rotation with one more key player. I would not be surprised at all to see something go down on or before draft night -- something that may leave a lot of us groaning but will add a few wins to Portland's ledger.

But yes, to answer your last question, barring any foolish GMs offering up other expirings plus assets for our expirings, it is absolutely the best course of action to let them expire and walk.

[Tim Lehrbach]

However if we're a treadmill team over [Deni's] bargain years, we're not exactly making the most of this contract. By the time we'll be playoff ready he'll be earning $40m per season likely.

This, 100%. There is no point in slowly nurturing the existing roster to maybe sorta become good someday, while wasting Deni and Toumani's bargain years. Portland needs to act decisively to win now, which probably means giving up Scoot and Shaedon for upgrades, or make the bold pivot back to the deep rebuild, which may mean trading Deni. It's an awful position to be in for a GM, I'll at least empathize with Joe on that, as neither path looks very promising.

[Norm2953]

It does make me wonder if there was another Bane like move out there, where another team offered up
four FRP + swap , if Portland would take it?

Let's say the Rockets strike out on KD and make a play for Deni with spare parts like Jabari Smith, Reed Shepherd,
+ picks for that's a team that is ready to compete, even in a packed western conference.

[Tim Lehrbach]

It does make me wonder if there was another Bane like move out there, where another team offered up
four FRP + swap , if Portland would take it?

Let's say the Rockets strike out on KD and make a play for Deni with spare parts like Jabari Smith, Reed Shepherd,
+ picks for that's a team that is ready to compete, even in a packed western conference.

Yeah, if a grand haul is offered up for Deni, I think you have to take it. The chances of this team being great with Deni are just too slim for me to pass up a godfather offer.

[Norm2953]

Let's hope there is another Bridges/Bane type of offer out there for Deni like Bane is a really solid player
but unlike Bane has a great contract.

It'd need to be a team that has the draft/player assets to make such a trade, which is why I mentioned the
Rockets but let's say the Thunder fail to win a championship. They also have a load of future picks and a glut
of player assets

[Tim Lehrbach]

Yeah, I'd take a deal from Houston or OKC. Both have a promising young point guard and boatloads of picks. I don't believe either has an attractive unprotected 2026 pick, which is what I'd really want, but they could sway me with a volume of assets.

[dckingsfan]

It does make me wonder if there was another Bane like move out there, where another team offered up
four FRP + swap , if Portland would take it?

Let's say the Rockets strike out on KD and make a play for Deni with spare parts like Jabari Smith, Reed Shepherd,
+ picks for that's a team that is ready to compete, even in a packed western conference.

Yeah, if a grand haul is offered up for Deni, I think you have to take it. The chances of this team being great with Deni are just too slim for me to pass up a godfather offer.

I think it would be more like Simons (expiring) + Deni for Shepard + Green + 3 FRPs.

My thinking on a trade that won't happen is this (assuming Durant doesn't go there either):

It allows Portland to reset with their PG in place and gives time for Green to get his collective act together.

For Houston, they get an expiring contract + Deni (who they are gambling is going to continue to break out), they would use him at SG through PF.

Portland let's Sharpe, Ayton, Thybulle and Williams expire giving them tremendous flexibility in '26-'27. They pick up two picks in this draft.

Over time they end up with
Shepard/Scoot
Green
Camara
Grant
Clingan

And a bunch of picks. They are hoping on the longer term development of Shepard, Green, Camara & Clingan and rotational players from their picks and the three Rocket picks.