National Basketball Association

Portland Trail Blazers: 2017 NBA Draft grades

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:50 p.m. ET

Fansided, Angelo Mendoza/FanSided via Hoops Habit

Portland Trail Blazers

Portland Trail Blazers, 2017 NBA Draft (Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)

Here are the 2017 NBA Draft grades for each of the three picks made by the Portland Trail Blazers.

Among the 30 teams in the NBA, the Portland Trail Blazers were in the best possible position to turn the 2017 NBA Draft upside down on its head. Holding the 15th pick, the 20th pick and the 26th pick overall, the Blazers had a number of different viable options, each of which had varying levels of potential to shake up the current foundation of the league.

Would they try for a headliner trade for an All-Star player like Paul George? Would another team be interested in Portland packaging their picks in an attempt to move up into the lottery? Could the Blazers use one or two of their picks in a salary dump? If not, then which international players would the Blazers be interested in drafting and stashing overseas?

Whatever route they chose to take, the main priority was always the same: add some first round talent — preferably a defensive presence in the frontcourt — while keeping in mind their limited financial flexibility.

So what did the Blazers end up doing? How did they do it? Was it the right way to go?

Feel free to tell us what you think about all that and more as we dive into the Blazers edition of Hoops Habit's 2017 NBA Draft grades.

Portland Trail Blazers

Portland Trail Blazers, Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

With the 15th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers…trade their pick to the Sacramento Kings for the 10th pick.

Okay yeah. This will be a three-part analysis. Lots to dissect here. First, let's lay out all the facts.

The Portland Trail Blazers would up going the lottery route, sending the 15th pick (Justin Jackson – UNC) to the Sacramento Kings for the 10th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. PDX moved up into the lottery and selected 19-year-old seven-footer Zach Collins out of Gonzaga.

Collins, who came off the bench for all 39 games he played for Gonzaga last season, averaged 10.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 17.2 minutes per game. He shot 65.2 percent from the field, 47.6 percent from behind the arc and 74.3 percent from the free throw line.

Dan Dickau on Blazers No. 10 pick Zach Collins pic.twitter.com/jJXMDgYvxC

— CSN Northwest (@CSNNW) June 23, 2017

Per 40 minutes, those numbers translate to 23.2 points, 13.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 4.1 blocks. Per 100 possessions, Collins averages 32.6 points, 19.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 5.8 blocks.

The numbers look great for a player like Collins, who will be battling with guys like Noah Vonleh, Ed Davis and Al-Farouq Aminu for minutes at power forward.

Portland Trail Blazers

Portland Trail Blazers, Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

With the 20th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers…include this pick in their trade with the Sacramento Kings.

The Portland Trail Blazers went into Thursday looking to A) add some first round talent to shore up their frontcourt, and B) find a way to trade one or two of their picks to alleviate their financial situation.

Trading both the 15th pick and 20th pick (Harry Giles – Duke) to the Sacramento Kings for Zach Collins meets both of those needs.

Playing alongside guys like Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic, Zach Collins projects to be more of a power forward than a center, utilizing his ability to space the floor to provide the Blazers with a stretch-4 threat.

If teams thought the Blazers were great offensively before, adding Collins adds an entirely new dimension to an already potent offense.

And despite being an offensive threat from outside, Collins is an awesome shot-blocker and glass cleaner. On paper, Portland's interior defense improves adding Collins into their frontcourt.

Portland Trail Blazers

Portland Trail Blazers, Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Zach Collins has incredibly high potential…to be a bust

We went over the good news. The bad news: the Portland Trail Blazers took an offensive weapon instead of a much-needed defender, all the while losing out on lottery-level talents in Justin Jackson (15) and Harry Giles (20).

It's no secret that the Blazers aren't the best defensive team in the league. Of course, much of that has to do with all the buckets they give up from behind the arc and not so much what they give up in the paint, but the question of whether Collins will be able to guard the perimeter remains to be seen.

In addition, Collins notably lacks the defensive discipline to stay out of foul trouble. He averaged 2.7 fouls per game last season at Gonazga, which translates to 6.2 fouls per 40 minutes and 8.8 fouls per 100 possessions.

Per Draft Express' NCAA championship game prospect analysis:

"Collins was having an up and down NCAA Tournament leading into Saturday, struggling to stay out of foul trouble, looking far too sped up at times, and being very mistake prone and reactive to everything that happens on the floor. Scouts are still trying to get a better handle on the extent of his toughness and basketball IQ, as he's been inconsistent in those departments throughout the season." – Jonathan Givony, Draft Express

And according to Jason Quick of CSN Northwest, Collins didn't even work out for the team. So if you're keeping up with me, the Blazers essentially sold two lottery-talent steals in the middle of the first round for a long-range shooting big man. Both pre-draft workouts of Jackson and Giles obviously must have went horribly wrong.

Nevertheless, I don't put too much blame on the Blazers considering they REALLY needed to find a way to trade one or two or their picks, and Zach Collins will end up adding some much-needed depth in the frontcourt.

Zach Collins

PF/C, Portland Trail Blazers

Still, team stays within budget by trading both 15 and 20.

On the other hand, Blazers fans have already suffered through Meyers Leonard and Mason Plumlee. Zach Collins seems to be the next in a long line of offensive-minded big men who will end up disappointing fans for the next couple years.

Portland Trail Blazers

Portland Trail Blazers, Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

With the 26th pick in 2017 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers select…Caleb Swanigan out of Purdue.

I really like this pick from the Portland Trail Blazers, selecting 20-year-old, 6'9″ power forward/center Caleb Swanigan out of Purdue.

Swanigan provides great value at the 26th pick, and he adds more edge to an already tough-minded Blazers team. Playing 35 games last season, Swanigan averaged 18.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 32.5 minutes per game. He shot 52.7 percent from the field, 44.7 percent from behind the arc and 78.1 percent from the free throw line.

Caleb Swanigan

PF/C, Portland Trail Blazers

Per Julian Applebome at Draft Express, Swanigan had a tough time growing up, battling things like "weight issues, homelessness, and the death of his father." Portland picks up a guy who takes the hardship in his life and channels it into the kind of hard work and dedication expected of an NBA star.

He's not the most athletic guy, nor the best defender, but Swanigan's 7'3″ wingspan and ability to rack up double-doubles is undeniable. He adds a bit more frontcourt depth than the Blazers need, but he's a solid pick at 26 that the Blazers can rely on to clean the glass, space the floor and leave it all out on the hardwood.