2025 Blazer Draft Prospects

[Norm2953]

I think Portland's pick at 11 will be Carter Bryant.

I would look for Portland to flip Thybulle, especially if they drafted a shooter at 11 if they passed
on Bryant.

[DusterBuster]

I think Portland's pick at 11 will be Carter Bryant.

I would look for Portland to flip Thybulle, especially if they drafted a shooter at 11 if they passed
on Bryant.

Bryant is who I want, but I think JK is gonna be the pick. Just too much smoke there.

[Norm2953]

I would wonder if Jrue trade precludes drafting another guard, unless he's a shooter

[Walton1one]

ESPN last? Mock has POR taking:

Jakucionis

Read on Twitter

[DeBlazerRiddem]

Man if Essengue and Bryant go at 9/10 then I guess KJ makes sense. I would look at the cost of moving up for Noa but the asking might make it not worth it. KJ had some real stinky games too and has some big time bust potential.

I'm really curious to see where Coward ends up going. Is he going to be someone that teams regret passing on or was he just hype. We will see, I wouldnt hate if we were the team to take a shot at him tho.

CMB also still holds some interest but I dunno. What he is good at he is really good at. But not shooting can make a player unplayable. Polarizing.

Well the draft is such a mystery box. I'm sure in 5 years we will look back and be like "obviously this player was way better than that player, why did we even debate or doubt it". But impossible to know tomorrow.

As long as we don't trade the pick away for an overpriced veteran I think it will be fine. Unless we draft Queen, that is about the only guy I really doubt. And that is why he will probably be an All-Star some day lol.

[Walton1one]

Read on Twitter

Screw the Celtics…

[zzaj]

Alright, after the recent trades I've updated my draft predictions as follows--Note, my inclusion of Coward as the Blazer pick. This is mostly my own way of having fun with whom I would prefer the Blazers to draft at the spot. Yes, I know that Cronin has only drafted players that he's brought in for workouts and that ESPN has gotten the Blazer pick correct the last couple of years. I like KJ fine enough, and think he's a longtime 6th man type guard in the league. I can see him being the pick if Cronin plans on trying to flip Jrue to DAL or SAC.

If the Blazers are trying to go all-in (still hate it), the player I'd like them to select is Nique Clifford. He reminds me of Brandon Roy in a lot of ways. I think he is going to be a plug and play player from day 1 and have a long NBA career no matter where he goes.

1) Flagg - DAL
2) Harper - SAS
3) VJ - PHI
4) TJ - CHA
5) Fears - UTA
6) Bailey - WIZ
7) Maluach - NOP
8) Kon - BRK
9) Noa - TOR
10) Bryant - PHX
11) Coward - POR
12) Queen - CHI
13) KJ - ATL
14) CMB - SAS
15) Clifford - OKC
16) Demin - MEM
17) Sorber - MIN
18) McNeeley - WIZ
19) Newell - BRK
20) Clayton - MIA
21) Wolf - UTA
22) Beringer - BRK
23) Riley - NOP
24) Gonzalez - OKC
25) Richardson - ORL
26) Traore - BKN
27) Fleming - BKN
28) Raynaud - BOS
29) Penda - PHX
30) Powell - LAC

I see Kalkbrenner, Yang, Saraf, and Niederhauser all kinda floating in that late 1st early 2nd range depending on team needs. Going to be REAL interesting what BKN does with all those picks. I have them taking Kon, Newell, Beringer, Traore based on the idea that they are keeping them...but I really doubt that happens.

[Norm2953]

The Suns board seems to think they will draft a big but this is a fluid draft for the Nets who have 5 FRP
have the draft assets to get any player other than Flagg/Harper, which is why coming up with a mock
is meaningless. The Nets are not going to take 5-6 rookies which means their picks at 19,22, 26,27 will
be up for sale. I'd still like to have one of the many young bigs in this draft, assuming the team does not
take one at pick 11

[zzaj]

The Suns board seems to think they will draft a big but this is a fluid draft for the Nets who have 5 FRP
have the draft assets to get any player other than Flagg/Harper, which is why coming up with a mock
is meaningless. The Nets are not going to take 5-6 rookies which means their picks at 19,22, 26,27 will
be up for sale. I'd still like to have one of the many young bigs in this draft, assuming the team does not
take one at pick 11

I aaaaaalmost predicted Queen to PHX...he would be a good fit there.

All Mocks are meaningless, even for people who do it for a living. Still shouldn't stop anybody from having fun making them. It's especially fun in years like this when everything seems wide open after the first few picks and lots of changes are bound to happen.

[Chanse503]

My gut says that Brooklyn makes a deal with Philly and moves up and drafts Bailey.

1) Flagg - DAL
2) Harper - SAS
3) Bailey- BRK via PHI
4) VJ - CHA
5) Fears - UTA
6) Johnson - WIZ
7) Kon - NOP
8) Maluach - PHI via BRK
9) TJ - TOR
10) Queen - PHX
11) Bryant - POR
12) Newell - CHI
13) Demin - ATL
14) Beringer - SAS

This draft might be the most entertaining one I can remember- absolute crap shoot after #2

[Case2012]

I’ve mulled this Jrue-Holiday fiasco for two days and the more I stare at it, the more insane it feels. We handed Boston a 35-year-old on a $100 M tab, plus two seconds, plus $40 M in tax relief—and got nothing but bad money back. That’s twice we’ve bailed the Celtics out with zero draft equity in return. At this point I’m half-convinced somebody in Boston has kompromat on Joe Cronin and Jody Allen, because no sane GM makes that swap without at least a first attached. No one. Zinger is way younger, and we could have had a twin towers situation while adding shooting and shot blocking. I could have been cool with that, at least he was a star at some point. Or maybe it's Billups? Both former teams of his getting gifted players for nothing? It's like the Clippers deal all over again.

Asset management? Torched. Simons, Powell, Grant, Ayton—all squandered. Cronin’s résumé is headed where Olshey’s went: straight to the “never hire again” pile once the sale closes. And now we’re staring at draft night praying we don’t walk away with Kasparas Jakucionis or Queen and call it good. Fire him before he can screw up another pick—remember when the franchise canned Pritchard on draft day and still made him draft? Do that again.

Trade down with OKC, stockpile picks, and take actual basketball players—Nique Clifford, Walter Clayton Jr., Cedric Coward if he miraculously slips. There’s starter talent in that 10-20 pocket; these guys will skip it because… reasons.

I shouldn’t hate a front office full of people just “doing their jobs,” but they keep torching common sense and gutting the one escapism I have left. Being a Blazer fan feels like an exercise in engineered disappointment—almost like it’s intentional. Olshey had this disdain towrds the media and fans like we were all idiots, and it's continued but with a more gentle delivery.

Hold on to your butts, guys. Today is gonna suck.

[Norm2953]

I really think the Nets with those 5 FRP have all kinds of flexibility and cap space to really control this draft
after Flagg gets chosen.

It'll be interesting if Portland makes a move for let's say they offered Thybulle to the Nets for pick 36 for that
allows them to preserve their cap space without taking on any long term salary and possibly spin Thybulle off
to contender at the trade deadline.

Gives the Blazers a shot at one of those second round types of players, that they have been working out.

[zzaj]

I really think the Nets with those 5 FRP have all kinds of flexibility and cap space to really control this draft
after Flagg gets chosen.

It'll be interesting if Portland makes a move for let's say they offered Thybulle to the Nets for pick 36 for that
allows them to preserve their cap space without taking on any long term salary and possibly spin Thybulle off
to contender at the trade deadline.

Gives the Blazers a shot at one of those second round types of players, that they have been working out.

For a Portland team looking for an identity, given defense was the only thing the team was reasonably good at last year and they just added one of the smartest/best defenders in the league...I would think they want to KEEP Matisse and double down on defense. He has actually shot pretty well when he's been healthy...and he adds a lot of defensive playmaking. Probably worth more to Blazer brass than 2nds. The team is obviously going with a Vet mix at this point...who knows.

[Dame Lizard]

I’ve mulled this Jrue-Holiday fiasco for two days and the more I stare at it, the more insane it feels. We handed Boston a 35-year-old on a $100 M tab, plus two seconds, plus $40 M in tax relief—and got nothing but bad money back. That’s twice we’ve bailed the Celtics out with zero draft equity in return. At this point I’m half-convinced somebody in Boston has kompromat on Joe Cronin and Jody Allen, because no sane GM makes that swap without at least a first attached. No one. Zinger is way younger, and we could have had a twin towers situation while adding shooting and shot blocking. I could have been cool with that, at least he was a star at some point. Or maybe it's Billups? Both former teams of his getting gifted players for nothing? It's like the Clippers deal all over again.

Asset management? Torched. Simons, Powell, Grant, Ayton—all squandered. Cronin’s résumé is headed where Olshey’s went: straight to the “never hire again” pile once the sale closes. And now we’re staring at draft night praying we don’t walk away with Kasparas Jakucionis or Queen and call it good. Fire him before he can screw up another pick—remember when the franchise canned Pritchard on draft day and still made him draft? Do that again.

Trade down with OKC, stockpile picks, and take actual basketball players—Nique Clifford, Walter Clayton Jr., Cedric Coward if he miraculously slips. There’s starter talent in that 10-20 pocket; these guys will skip it because… reasons.

I shouldn’t hate a front office full of people just “doing their jobs,” but they keep torching common sense and gutting the one escapism I have left. Being a Blazer fan feels like an exercise in engineered disappointment—almost like it’s intentional. Olshey had this disdain towrds the media and fans like we were all idiots, and it's continued but with a more gentle delivery.

Hold on to your butts, guys. Today is gonna suck.

Agreed.

[The Sebastian Express]

I'm still Noa, CB or Coward. But if zzaj likes Clifford and none of them are there I'd be fine with Clifford too.

I'd also love to get a late first or some early seconds if possible to pick up on some guys with potential that may slip. And we can trade Murray away and put them at the end of the bench to develop with Rayan.

[DusterBuster]

I'm still Noa, CB or Coward. But if zzaj likes Clifford and none of them are there I'd be fine with Clifford too.

I'd also love to get a late first or some early seconds if possible to pick up on some guys with potential that may slip. And we can trade Murray away and put them at the end of the bench to develop with Rayan.

I'd be more interested in this than even who the Blazers take at 11. This is all such a crap shoot, I'm not gonna pretend I know who's the best pick this year, but I would love a couple swings at bat this draft and drop out of the Rupert and Murray game. Just not seeing anything that resembles a productive NBA player in those two. I've seen more skills out of Banton than those two.

[BlazersBroncos]

I would be pretty dissapointed if we went Clifford at 11. Shades of Duarte IMO. Dont think he flames out like Duarte but just a guy that is a replacement level starter at best and more suited for a 7-8 man role.

Anthony Parker is another guy that Nique reminds me of. Parker was a great role player but not really someone you swing for with basically a Top-10 pick.

Watching more Carter Bryant highlights and man his functional athleticism is elite. Noa is smooth and gets alot on his wild length, huge hands and excellent 2 footed jumping. But Bryant has insane explosion. I wouldnt be upset at him w/ 11. He has the gifts to be much more than a role player but his game is quite far from that - albeit I am in take the swing mode w/ draft picks.

Make win-now moves, its just going to happen w/ this FO - but swing big on the draft picks.

[DusterBuster]

Read on Twitter

Givony hard selling JK. Hard to ignore that he's probably the top pick for Portland/Schmitz.

Givony trying to be a bit more coy lately because word has gotten back to him that his connection to Schmitz means Portland media reads into anything he said near or related to Portland as basically being a Schmitz bullhorn.

[Dame Lizard]

Read on Twitter

Givony hard selling JK. Hard to ignore that he's probably the top pick for Portland/Schmitz.

Givony trying to be a bit more coy lately because word has gotten back to him that his connection to Schmitz means Portland media reads into anything he said near or related to Portland as basically being a Schmitz bullhorn.

I think this is a good take.

I'll be sad if this is the outcome. KJ is better than Demin but he has more role player potential (I see a lot of DDV in him) than star potential. We need to swing big here.

Drafting KJ would be a win-now move imo. Somewhat of a waste of a draft pick for us if we're keeping Jrue.

[zzaj]

I would be pretty dissapointed if we went Clifford at 11. Shades of Duarte IMO. Dont think he flames out like Duarte but just a guy that is a replacement level starter at best and more suited for a 7-8 man role.

Anthony Parker is another guy that Nique reminds me of. Parker was a great role player but not really someone you swing for with basically a Top-10 pick.

Watching more Carter Bryant highlights and man his functional athleticism is elite. Noa is smooth and gets alot on his wild length, huge hands and excellent 2 footed jumping. But Bryant has insane explosion. I wouldnt be upset at him w/ 11. He has the gifts to be much more than a role player but his game is quite far from that - albeit I am in take the swing mode w/ draft picks.

Make win-now moves, its just going to happen w/ this FO - but swing big on the draft picks.

FWIW, I think Bryant and Noa are both going before the Blazers pick. I would draft both of them for Portland before Coward, even though I actually see Coward with a higher upside than many are saying. Personally, I think that at 11 in this draft the chances of drafting anything more than a "starter" level player are pretty small.

I do wonder if the Blazers go with a handling guard like KJ or Demin at 11 if it's a signal that they plan on moving off of flipping Holiday. I would think so...