Trail Blazers Go For Upside At No. 11 In Latest Mock Draft From The Athletic
750 The Game Staff
The Portland Trail Blazers hold the No. 11 overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft that begins Wed., June 26th.
The Athletic published its latest mock draft for the first fifteen lottery selections with its team of beat writers, beginning with Cooper Flagg at No. 1 to Dallas.
Guards come off the board at No. 2 and No. 3 as San Antonio takes Rutgers star Dylan Harper and Philadelphia gets V.J. Edgecombe from Baylor. Charlotte goes with Kon Kneuppel out of Duke at No. 4, and Utah takes the other Rutgers star in Ace Bailey at No. 5.
The Wizards go with Texas’ Tre Johnson at No. 6 followed by New Orleans taking Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears at No. 7.
At No. 8, Brooklyn takes Collin Murray-Boyles, a forward from South Carolina. At No. 9, Maryland star Derrick Queen comes off the board to Toronto. Houston takes Arizona forward Carter Bryant at No. 10, and the state is set for Portland.
Longtime Blazers reporter Jason Quick makes the selection at No. 11 overall.
The choice?
11. Portland Trail Blazers: Noa Essengue, F, Ratiopharm Ulm
General manager Joe Cronin likes high-upside players, and as the second youngest player in the draft, the 6-foot-9 forward is an intriguing prospect. Blazers fans might remember him from October, when during an exhibition game against the Blazers, he had 20 points, eight rebounds, five steals and two blocks. He’s skinny and unpolished, but with Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija, the Blazers don’t need him to play huge minutes right away.
Read the full mock draft of lottery picks No. 1 through No. 15 here.