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

3. Darius Bazley – Syracuse before sitting out

With the 25th pick in the draft, the Blazers could be looking for an upside player that could hit to bring them over the top. They could look no further than former five-star player Darius Bazley.

Now, now, I know Bazley is projected as a second round pick, I get that, but had he played for Syracuse last season before his New Balance internship we’d be completely fine with him here at 25.

If Portland wants a high upside player at this point in the draft (25) then Bazley is the pick, and in my opinion offers more upside than the other players I included in this list. Just check out this video below.

The 6’9 combo/tweener forward is long and oozing with athleticism. He uses his length and athleticism to get steals and blocks on offense, and on offense uses that height to finish at the rack and has the ability to rise up and shoot over smaller defenders.

Where he can improve:

With nothing but high school tape, and nothing to look at for this past year  as far as what he’s improved on, it’s hard to really pinpoint what Bazley needs to do. One thing I know for certain? Gain weight.

At just 200 pounds, Bazley needs to gain muscle so he’s not pushed around on both sides of the court in the NBA. It would also help him find clarity in his position.

That brings up another thing he could improve on? Decision making. Not on the court but off of it. Was skipping college AND the G-league for an internship at New Balance the best thing for his chances at getting drafted? Scouts biggest question is how he looks playing five on five in real games. I mean, look at Cam Reddish. He’s an open gym all-star, but you get a better feel for his game against some competition.

I can’t blame him for making a smart business decision, and he still will get drafted, but the lack of exposure limits his ability to be a first round selection.

NBA comparison: Michael Beasley

At 6’9 with the special skill set as a combo forward with an outside/inside game, I think this comparison is a great one. As is the risk.

Obviously Bazley isn’t getting second pick in the NBA draft type consideration like Beasley did, but he has some similarity’s. He’s 6’9 long, athletic, can score inside and can score outside thanks to his ability to handle the ball pretty well and shoot.

With Bazely you’re either going to get good Beasley numbers of 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists like he did with the Timber-Wolves way back when, or you get the bad Beasley where he put up just 7 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist for the Lakers last season.

Hopefully for Bazely you’re going to get prime Beasley, or somewhere right in the middle like the 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists he put up two seasons ago with the New York Knicks.

Darius Bazely is oozing with potential and does fill a positional need for the Blazers. Would they go for his upside at pick 25?

To me, it’s between the plug him in right away and let him work sure-fire production of Grant Williams, or it’s draft Darius Bazley and his immense upside. Both players fill a positional need at the forward spot, but are both very different in regards to Williams and his high floor low ceiling, and Bazely and his low floor high ceiling. I think I’m leaning towords Grant Williams.

Whats your thoughts? I would like to know! Follow me on twitter @Thelob_trenton and talk to me not only about this article but about the NBA draft or sports in general!