The 2015 NBA Draft is a time to look ahead at the future of the Association. How will Karl-Anthony Towns help improve the Minnesota Timberwolves? Will Jahlil Okafor thrive in Los Angeles? Can Kristaps Porzingis live up to the hype of a rising draft stock?
More importantly for fans in Rip City: What will the Portland Trail Blazers do with the No. 23 pick?
Unfortunately, our crystal ball is broken at the moment, so we’ll cast our predictions aside and take a look back at what the Blazers have done with their picks throughout franchise history.
Conjectures about what constitutes a successful pick are subjective, but we’ll use the following criteria comprising two main components to analyze the past: Where was the player drafted, and did he exceed expectations?
The Blazers may be better known for their busts than their success stories, but there are a handful of players who deserve recognition as quality finds throughout franchise history.
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS’ TOP 5 WORST DRAFT PICKS!
Nicolas Batum, No. 25 Overall (2008)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X5El3JVeI0]Nicolas Batum had his ups and downs throughout his career with the Blazers. In fact, the video above is emblematic of how things went for the swingman during his seven-year stint with the team after coming over in a draft-day trade with the Houston Rockets in 2008.
But with last season showing more downs than ups, and with the Blazers needing insurance at both the power forward and shooting guard positions, the 26-year-old is now on his way to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Gerald Henderson and Noah Vonleh.
Although Batum’s experience with Portland was both promising and frustrating, there’s no denying he exceeded the value of what’s expected from a 25th overall pick. The fact that he was taken between Serge Ibaka and George Hill is actually a phenomenal testament to the gems found in that year’s class, as it’s rare to find even one player in that range who goes on to have a standout career.
We knew entering this offseason that his name would be involved in trade rumors, and as it turns out, Olshey wasted no time kicking off the summer with a bang. The Frenchman has a chance to reinvigorate his career out East, and to further solidify himself as a heck of a steal as a late-first-round pick.
Clyde Drexler, No. 14 Overall (1983)/Jerome Kersey, No. 46 (1984)
A longshot, Jerome Kersey made the @Trailblazers. Clyde Drexler: “He came in and out hustled every man on the team.” http://t.co/MaKAxL5cag
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) February 19, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsCop Out Alert: We’re going with two of the franchise’s all-time greats here.
Clyde Drexler was a top-15 pick, so he was supposed to be good. However, you can argue that as good as he was supposed to be, no 14th overall selection is supposed to earn 10 All-Star appearances, an All-NBA First Team honor, two Second Team honors and two Third Team honors throughout a career—not to mention two championship appearances with the franchise that drafted him.
And then there’s Mercy Mercy, Jerome Kersey. Although the 6’7” forward never earned the individual accolades that Drexler collected, he became a part of the nucleus that went to the Finals twice, and is recognized as one of the staples of the squad that went to two championships in three seasons during the early 90s.
Cliff Robinson, No. 36 Overall (1989)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zLIwJYS014]Imagine you have a chance to draft someone you know for a fact will go on to average 20.1 points and 6.7 rebounds just a few years into his career. Imagine you know that this player will become an All-Star, be a Sixth Man of the Year and eventually earn All-Defensive Second Team honors twice.
Would you take him in the lottery? Absolutely.
As it turned out, the Blazers landed this exact player in Clifford Robinson in the second round with the 36th overall pick in 1989.
Both of Robinson’s All-Defensive Second Team honors came after his days with Portland, but don’t let that change your opinion of how he performed for this franchise. Uncle Cliffy still owns the franchise record for most consecutive games played (461), and will be known as a lanky defender and excellent shooter for as long as this team exists.
Zach Randolph, No. 19 Overall (2001)
Zach Randolph went to Portland with the 19th pick in the 2001 draft. What a great selection who still can’t be stopped in the post. #Izzo — Peter Yannopoulos (@PeteYannopoulos) June 24, 2015
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Zach Randolph was taken 19th overall in 2001, and for the first season and a half, it appeared that ceiling was rather low. He averaged just 2.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in 5.8 minutes per game as a rookie, but it was during the postseason as a sophomore when he began to show his true value.
In 2003, the Blazers went down 3-0 in their first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks. Then, due to an injured Scottie Pippen riding the pine, Randolph was inserted into the starting lineup, and Portland forced a Game 7 before eventually bowing out with a series-deciding loss.
The next season, Randolph took over. He averaged 20.1 points and 10.5 rebounds in 80 starts, and he eventually went on to win Most Improved Player that season.
Randolph never found true success until he eventually reached the Memphis Grizzlies, but he averaged some of his best numbers in the mid-2000s. Those numbers came with the Blazers, and they’re what propelled the big man to the success he’s found at this point in his career.
Terry Porter, No. 24 Overall (1985)
Ah, but the No. 24 spot, that was a great one the two times the #Blazers had it, getting rights to Arvydas Sabonis and Terry Porter.
— Mike Tokito (@mtokito) April 15, 2015
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Entering the 2015 draft, Portland owns the 23rd pick. There’s no way the team is going to find a franchise staple in the mid-20s, right?
History might just say otherwise.
Not only did the Blazers find Arvydas Sabonis with the 24th pick in 1986 (a player who is not on this list because he spent his prime on the other side of the pond), but they found Terry Porter in the same spot just a year earlier.
Porter ended up playing for Portland between 1985 and 1995, making two All-Star Games in the process. He’s currently third in the franchise record books for games played, second in minutes, fourth in field goals, second in three-pointers, second in free-throws, third in points, second in steals and first in assists.
None of this is to say the Blazers are going to find its next star with No. 23. But if Porter has taught us anything, it’s that you simply can’t count out anyone, regardless of where they go in the NBA Draft.
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