National Basketball Association

Portland Trail Blazers: 5 options for pick No. 15 in 2017 NBA Draft

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:29 p.m. ET

Fansided, Angelo Mendoza/FanSided via Hoops Habit

Portland Trail Blazers

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Which of the following six prospects would you like to see drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 15th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft?

The Portland Trail Blazers have never been the luckiest team in the draft, and this year they hold the 15th pick, 20th pick and 26th overall picks. The name of the game is simple:

Go BIG, or go home.

Rip City is in desperate need of some frontcourt depth and some help on the defensive end. However, the Blazers currently have 12 guys with guaranteed money on their payroll, and therefore they're more than likely to be involved in a draft-day trade.

Whether that means packaging their picks in an attempt to trade up, or possibly even going all in on a franchise-altering trade for a star like Paul George, the Blazers are in great position to make a move this offseason, not to mention they're bound to cash in on all the good karma they've generated the past few years by handing out all those trade exceptions.

But barring any trades for the 15th spot, here's a list of the five prospects the Portland Trail Blazers should be looking to select.

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Jarrett Allen || C || 19 years old || 6'11", 224 lbs.

Jarrett Allen played 33 games with Texas this past season, averaging 13.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 32.1 minutes while shooting 56.6 percent from the field.

Several sites have Allen going at No. 15 to the Blazers, including USA Today, Bleacher Report, NBC, Sporting News, and Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders.

Standing 6-foot-11, Allen was measured having a 7-foot-6 wingspan, a 9-foot-2 standing reach, and gargantuan hands. Combined with his 31.5-inch no step vertical leap, 35.5-inch max vertical leap (second-highest among centers at the NBA Draft Combine) and a 3/4-court sprint time of 3.21 seconds, the Texas product boasts an incredible physical profile for a 19-year-old big man.

Allen has the potential to develop into a well-rounded center. He runs the floor well, he's displayed solid footwork, he has solid shooting mechanics, and he has great instincts defensively and on the glass.

The biggest knock on him is he lacks strength and toughness, and his consistency and motor certainly leaves something to be desired. The Blazers — a playoff team looking to build on their 8-seed appearance in the playoffs this past season — could be a great situation for Allen as he works to add weight and find his niche in the league.

Portland Trail Blazers

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Ike Anigbogu || C || 18 years old || 6'10", 230 lbs.

Ike Anigbogu played 29 games for UCLA his freshman year, averaging 14.5 points, 12.4 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per 40 minutes.

Both Draft Express and Sports Illustrated have Anigbogu listed at 15 going to the Portland Trail Blazers. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders and Max Holm of HoopsHabit also have the 6-foot-10 big man going to Rip City at 15.

Like Jarrett Allen, Anigbogu has great physical tools, most notably a 7-foot-6 wingspan (third at the NBA Draft Combine) and a 9-foot-2 standing reach (eighth at the NBA Draft Combine). In addition, he posted a 32.5-inch max vertical at the Combine, which ranked fourth among centers.

The Blazers' defense would automatically improve with the addition of Anigbogu, who has a solid foundation defensively. The UCLA product is not only a proven rim protector, but he has the potential to become a stellar pick-and-roll defender.

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OG Anunoby || F || 19 years old || 6'8″ || 215 lbs.

OG Anunoby played 16 games for Indiana, averaging 11.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks in 25.1 minutes. He shot 55.7 percent from the field and 31.1 percent from behind the arc.

Net Scouts Basketball, Reid Forgrave of CBS Sports, and Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders all predict Anunoby going to the Portland Trail Blazers at 15.

Anunoby tore his ACL back in January, which consequently makes him a wild card in the draft. Due to questions concerning how he'll bounce back from ACL surgery, Anunoby is projected to go anywhere from late in the lottery to early in the second round.

Best-case scenario: Anunoby develops as a two-way player, using his strength, agility and 7-foot-2 wingspan to excel at multiple positions. For most teams picking in the middle of the first round, the floor doesn't matter all that much when the ceiling is the roof, and Anunoby's roof is sky high.

Portland Trail Blazers

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John Collins || PF || 19 years old || 6'10", 225 lbs.

In 33 games for Wake Forest, John Collins averaged 27.9 points, 14.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per 40 minutes. Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com and Chad Ford of ESPN both have Collins going to the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 15.

It's easy to fall in love with Collins' motor and athleticism. While there are question marks about whether he'll be able to carry over his offensive game to the NBA level, teams know they'll be able to count on Collins to play every game like it's his last, which coaches and fans will certainly appreciate.

Collins is known for his scoring ability most of all, and his post-up game is especially relevant. He has a number of different moves in his repertoire, including a developing face-up game. He has great feel with his back to the basket, and his shooting mechanics are not too shabby. He'll have to work on being more consistent from outside to better help space the floor.

He also doesn't project to be much of a defender despite having the agility needed to hedge and recover on the pick-and-roll. With the right tutelage, however, the Wake Forest product could possibly find a way to translate his high motor and athletic ability into high-level defense.

Portland Trail Blazers

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T.J. Leaf || PF || 20 years old || 6'10", 222 lbs.

T.J. Leaf played 35 games at UCLA, averaging 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 blocks in 29.9 minutes per game. He shot 61.7 percent from the field and 46.6 percent from behind the arc.

NBADraft.net and Gary Parrish of CBS Sports are among the names who believe Leaf will go at 15 to the Blazers.

Leaf is an interesting option for the Blazers considering they first need to address their issues defensively, and scouts aren't exactly high on Leaf's potential as a defender. Nevertheless, Leaf is an offensive talent that could be worth taking at 15 if Portland feels the need to add a stretch-4.

Again, the Blazers don't need another scorer to infringe upon what Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic are able to do offensively. Furthermore, the Blazers shot 37.5 percent from three in the 2017 regular season (sixth in the NBA), which means spacing is the least of their problems.

But a team can never have too many guys with the uncanny ability to get buckets, and T.J. Leaf gets buckets from almost anywhere on the court. Leaf's abilities would fit just fine in Portland's offense.