NBA draft 2019: Top 3 options for Portland Trail Blazers to select with 25th pick

The Portland Trail Blazers have the 25th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Which players should they target to help make another postseason run?

After back to back first round exits in the playoffs, the Portland Trailblazers FINALLY pushed through and made it to the Western Conference finals. With the team being capped out with trying to bring back Enes Kanter and Rodney Hood in free agency, the team needs to focus on the NBA Draft to push them to the next step. Who can they draft with pick 25 to push them over the hump to be legit title contenders?

1. Grant Williams – Tennessee

Grant Williams is a two-time SEC player of the year. Last season he put up numbers of 18.8 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game, and 3.2 assists per game, along with 1.1 steals and 1.5 blocks a contest. He did that wile having solid shooting percentages of a .564 FG%, and .326% from 3.

Williams has something that not many draft prospects in the draft has. Experience. He’s played in 104 games (Three seasons) with career collegiate averages of 15.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg, & 2.1 apg.

Williams uses his experience and 6’7 240 pound frame to get himself in the right positions when posting up down low to score, as he shot an efficient 56% on post ups last year. Williams is good at fighting through contact to get an ugly bucket, but also has a nice touch around the rim and can shoot jump hooks with both hands.

When catching the ball on the wing he can back you down and score on you by shooting the turnaround J, and while driving, can effectively get closer to the basket and get a cleaner look with a nice spin move he uses regularly. His ability to finish with both hands allows him to utilize the spin move both ways, making it hard to determine what he’s doing with the basketball. Williams isn’t the most athletic, but his experience, fundamentals, and size allow him to be able to still score in those ways, but lacking athleticism will cause him to struggle a bit more when doing those moves in the NBA.

What are ways he can score without being an elite level athlete? Having a shooting touch and being able to spread the floor with his three-point shot. He’s a good enough of a shooter to make you worry about him, and he also has the ability to get you with a shot fake and go around you, or put the ball on the floor on a drive and shoot a smooth jumper. He can catch the ball on top of the key and knock down the face up jumper over his defender, and can hit shots in the short corner whether it’s a set shot, or a fade away contested.

What makes him valuable on offense is his ability to score from all three levels, and really do all things. He brings versatility of where to play him, whether it’s at small forward to bring the team a bigger lineup and rebounding advantage, or utilize him as a small ball five. What about his defense?

With just over a steal and a block a game, Williams proves to be just as versatile on defense as he is on offense. He is able to guard the 3-5 positions, and when switched onto a guard he will be able to hold his own for the short while he would be on them. He also uses his high basketball IQ to put himself in good positions on defense. He makes the right reads, rotates where he’s supposed to rotate, and knows when he’s supposed to come over and help. He makes his team’s defense better because his teammates can rely on him to be in a certain area, which allows them to do their job with confidence.

Where can he improve?

The big thing Williams needs to do is work on his shooting. In college he made .326%, but didn’t need a 35 to 38 percent shooting mark from the 3 point line. In the NBA his lack of athleticism won’t allow him to score as effectively as he did in college inside the three-point line. If Williams developed a better three-point shot, it would not only allow him an easier way to score points, but would also impact whichever team he’s on as he could stretch the floor better.

NBA comparison: Draymond Green

At 6’7 230 pounds with college stats of 16.2 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.5 spg, and 0.9 bpg Draymond I believe is a really good comparison to Williams out of college.

Both are a bit undersized, but make up for that with their versatility at the position. Another similarity? The passing numbers. Coming out of college both Williams and Draymond showed an elite passing ability for their position.

Williams I don’t think is as athletic as Draymond, so I don’t project him to be as good of a defender, but he did have over a steal and a block a game last season, which was actually more production than Draymond in college. He doesn’t wow you with his athleticism, but his high IQ keeps him in the game.

Grant Williams would be a perfect glue guy for this Blazers team who can offer versatility on both sides of the floor, and with Al-Farouq Aminu set to become a free agent, he could instantly replace him.