2025 Blazer Draft Prospects

[Case2012]

It's interesting to think that Memphis loved Coward so much that they sent one of the leagues best shooters and their second best player to Orlando so they could replace him with Coward. They are so high on Coward that they gave up an unprotected first for him to get an idea of how he was looked at by other teams and we HAD him, only to give him up for a pick that might be something in 3 years and a guy we could have bought in the second round. We gave away a guy Memphis felt might be better than Bane for a guy we are gambling will be only the second good player out of China in the history of basketball.

That's my perspective right now. I'm enjoying watching his tape, but I don't see how he makes the floor unless it's in a blowout.

Cronin literally said they moved down as far as they felt safe for him. Past 16 was too risky.

Lobotomize me.

[Chanse503]

I’m pulling for this guy and hopefully rocks Hansen on back of his jersey cause my last name is HANSEN ;0

[Dame Lizard]

It's interesting to think that Memphis loved Coward so much that they sent one of the leagues best shooters and their second best player to Orlando so they could replace him with Coward. They are so high on Coward that they gave up an unprotected first for him to get an idea of how he was looked at by other teams and we HAD him, only to give him up for a pick that might be something in 3 years and a guy we could have bought in the second round. We gave away a guy Memphis felt might be better than Bane for a guy we are gambling will be only the second good player out of China in the history of basketball.

That's my perspective right now. I'm enjoying watching his tape, but I don't see how he makes the floor unless it's in a blowout.

Cronin literally said they moved down as far as they felt safe for him. Past 16 was too risky.

Lobotomize me.

I refuse to believe that Memphis traded Bane because they wanted Coward so much.

More likely that they now need a SG and Coward is someone they obviously liked.

[mighty_duck]

All of the pundits keep saying Yang is slow and plodding and therefore has no chance in the NBA. The footage shows him moving pretty well for a guy his size. Both in transition, in the pick-n-roll, and especially catching with his back to the basket. He has a fairly advanced array of moves for a center his age, I wish Clingan had a third of those.

His athletic measurements were all better than Clingan (the first three are speed - lower is better, the last two are leap - higher is better)
Clingan 12.06 3.38 3.46 25.5 29.0
Yang H 11.79 3.01 3.38 26.0 30.0

He is 250 pounds of lean muscle, and at only 19 can get even stronger.


That said - even in the rosiest of scenarios, he is at least two years away from being a rotation player.
Clingan is a beast on the glass and on defense, and will have that to fall back on even if his offensive game never materializes.

[PDXKnight]

I would love if we somehow got yao ming. I doubt that would be the case though as yao was pretty well known hence him going number 1

Im not sure what we were doing here, either it makes or breaks Cronin but I think either way hes out the door. New ownership generally gets their own people in but hopefully the next group isn't all about yes men..

[Shem]

Watch on YouTube

[zzaj]

Just watched Cronin's presser...

Boy the part that stood out to me was the "Happy for Jodi and Burt" "we've done our best" tone when asked about the potential sale of the team...that sure felt like someone who knows his days are numbered.

Yang first came on my radar via the RealGM draft board actually, probably in December or so. I liked what I saw in clips. I liked what I saw of him at the combine (did not like his neutral length). His Post game seemed fluid and decisive and with good touch, and his passing reminded me of PDX era Sabonis. The difference is that Sabonis was playing against Shaq, Robinson, Dream, Ewing, etc...I couldn't name you one player that Yang played against to achieve his meh+ numbers.

I don't think anybody is really criticizing the scouting department for sticking to their guns and taking a stab at a player that they feel is a talent. It's the taking of a 5th center after the other young, lotto pick C on the roster showed elite defensive potential last year, and overdrafting the new guy at 16 that most of us have an issue with.

Now, judging from Cronin's presser, he made it seem like they weren't comfortable moving past 16 for fear of some other team taking Yang. I don't really believe that...that sounds like face saving to me. My hunch is that more likely they couldn't find a trade partner that was willing to give up anything of value to move up a few spots more within the time allotted.

Ultimately, I expected the Blazers in this draft to come away with a starting level player or good backup at 11. I don't see Yang as a starting C in the NBA, but the potential is there to be a good backup...so (shrug).

Let's make one thing clear, targeting and moving back for Yang is essentially saying he's a better talent and will help the team long-term over: Coward, Noa, Queen, Sorber, Bryant, KJ, Clifford and McNeely, just to name a few. It's a bold stance, to say the least.

What I LOVE about this pick is that it puts Cronin's a$$ on the line. The organization is getting ridiculed, mocked, or at the very least questioned by literally every single draft outlet and pundit that I see. So either Cronin and Schmitz are smarter than almost everyone, or they may be gone sooner than later.

I can say that he definitely makes Newell and Fleming look tiny in these clips:

Watch on YouTube

EDIT: Also, I don't know who said it first, but I sure hope Yang is already working with an IP attorney on a "Yang Bang" trademark.

[Walton1one]

Absolutely embarrassing pick, couldn’t detest Cronin anymore than I already do, but this selection probably seals his fate of ever being a GM again, now we just wait for the day he is fired, this team isn’t going anywhere anyway

Cannot believe the players that POR passed on the board for this guy, but this why the POR front office is viewed as one of the worst in the league

I bet Jrue is thrilled to come to POR after this pick

Lots of analysts defending Schmitz, but unless this pick hits (and even if it does) this pick @ #16 is just indefensible

Again, can’t wait until this entire front office, including Schmitz is gone and the stench of Bert Kolde is wiped clean

Sad to be a Blazer fan these days and watch our team be laughed a around the league

[red_power]

It's interesting to think that Memphis loved Coward so much that they sent one of the leagues best shooters and their second best player to Orlando so they could replace him with Coward. They are so high on Coward that they gave up an unprotected first for him to get an idea of how he was looked at by other teams and we HAD him, only to give him up for a pick that might be something in 3 years and a guy we could have bought in the second round. We gave away a guy Memphis felt might be better than Bane for a guy we are gambling will be only the second good player out of China in the history of basketball.

There is a question though if Coward will ever become any better player than Shae. Blazers are stuffed with young players at pretty much every position, not just C.. The talent level is under a question mark sometimes.

[red_power]

That said - even in the rosiest of scenarios, he is at least two years away from being a rotation player.

In fact, he was a full time starter on his team in China. I know CBA is not the strongest basketball league around the world, but the same time he can't be compared to folks like Dragan Bender who had almost zero professional basketball exposure prior the NBA draft.
Yang either starts contribute after a short accomodation period or we can write him off quickly.

Anyway, his stats on the Chinese team look interesting. It seems he could really put the ball into the basket there. Makes sense why Blazers FO decided to roll a dice to see if his balling ability translates well into an NBA level and they managed to snatch another international talent like Sengun.

[Brandon-Clyde]

Could this be karma for constantly complaining about Olshey never seeming to want to draft anyone over 6'3"?

[Goldbum]

I sent a text to an Eastern Conference scout when I heard KJ was still going to be on the board after trading down. “Cronin is a genius! Turning 11 into KJ and 3 future pick is incredible!!!” I continued “If we can flip one of those 2nds into Penda I think this could go down as one of the great Portland drafts…I know I’m getting greedy and carried away lol” he replied simply “Think again.” About 3 minutes before we got hit with the Yang Bang

[JRoy]

I like the pick.

It’s bold. Risky, sure, but the FO must really believe in his potential.

The question is, what now?

Does Reath/Rob get moved so we can get into the second round tomorrow?

[Tim Lehrbach]

Who are the best available players? Maybe Portland buys a second rounder?

[zzaj]

I like the pick.

It’s bold. Risky, sure, but the FO must really believe in his potential.

The question is, what now?

Does Reath/Rob get moved so we can get into the second round tomorrow?

Moving Reath is probably the smart move. IMO, RWIII still has value as a teacher for both Clingan and now Yang. Not sure he's really moveable anyway.

The player they should be trying to move somehow is Ayton for some kind of depth piece and ANY draft picks. But Cronin won't be able to do that.

I have to assume if Jrue stays, then Banton is gone (which is fine). Standard contracts right now are (I think):

Scoot
Sharpe
Jrue
Rupert
Matisse
Camara
Grant
Murray
Deni
Ayton
Clingan
Yang
RWIII
Reath

With Banton and Walker both being FAs. So one has to go...if I had to guess which it would be, I'd say Banton because the Blazers don't have anybody but Walker to play small-ball C and there won't be any minutes for Banton at Guard or Forward.

[BlazersBroncos]

That pic of him with no shirt is shocking.

[Walton1one]

No reason to move any center, POR fantastic pick will be playing in the G-league next year….

Read on Twitter

[Black and Blue]

Looking at the roster and salary lengths I feel like I understand the Yang pick at least a little more. They must see their core for the next few years as Jrue/Scoot, Shaeden, Grant/Camara, Avidja, Clingan. That means they need another Center if they are going to let the others expire/be traded. So much is unlocked after next season with the salaries disappearing.

The five centers thing is short sighted, especially if the team sees the current centers as dead weight except for Clingan. But what it does do is give a 1-2 year window of breathing room for the team to get Yang up to speed to take over the backup role sometime next season.

It’s still insane to take Yang with a guaranteed role for a backup Center (don’t get me wrong) but evidently the team feels he will be a lifer here as he continues to get better.

I personally don’t buy the “getting the team ready to be sold” rumors for why the pick was made. I think the team loved the prospect and saw a unique opportunity to develop him slowly with their contracts.

Look at it this way: this team is certainly not boring. And unless Cronin does something stupid there is a crazy amount of flexibility to kick the young roster into the next level the year after next. My other favorite team Orlando used this model of transition to build their young team so I’ve seen this model happen before. The Blazers are like 2-3 years behind Orlando in getting a star to complement their developed youth and going all in.

[Walton1one]

Yeah, we will see if he is the best center, considering that Beringer went right after him, they could have taken Queen, Sorber or Newell

But nope, we got the Chinese Jokić, lol, get ready to hear that from Blazer broadcasting over and over and over and over again next year

[Myth]

At minimum, Blazers should have been able to trade with Pelicans instead of letting the Hawks do it. Hawks gave 13 (Queen) for 23 and the unprotected 2026 best of Pelicans/Bucks 1st. Pelicans won 21 games and should remain horrible, so that is a top 10 pick with a chance at winning the lottery. Surely the Pelicans could have more confidently landed Queen if Portland gave them 11 instead of them hoping Queen made it to 13 (which he did anyway obviously).