It's never easy to build a team from the draft. Just ask the Portland Trail Blazers.
More often than not, this approach requires a lot of time and patience — something that not all teams in the league have the luxury of having. Drafting a once-in-a-generation type of talent that would instantly boost his team's title odds is more of a rarity than a norm. As a matter of fact, we are all too familiar with the narrative of lottery picks going to waste. At the end of the day, it's always a tremendous risk.
For their part, the Blazers have had their fair share of ups and downs in the draft. Today we focus on the positives, as we highlight the Top 5 draft picks throughout this team's history.
5. Geoff Petrie
Eighth overall in the 1970 NBA Draft
With their No. 8 pick in the 1970 edition of the draft, the Blazers decided to gamble on a 6-foot-4 combo guard from Princeton in Geoff Petrie. Boy did that turn out to be the right decision.
Petrie made an instant impact upon his arrival, not only getting a call-up to the All-Star squad in his rookie campaign but also coming away with that season's Rookie of the Year award. This also happened to be Portland's first season in the league, so to say that they made quite a splash with Petrie would be a bit of an understatement.
Petrie made one more All-Star appearance in his six-year NBA career (all with the Blazers). Unfortunately, his career was cut short by a knee injury, which forced him to retire at just 28 years of age.
4. Terry Porter
24th overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft
A two-time All-Star, Terry Porter emerged as the Blazers' starting point guard during the late-'80's to the mid-'90's. The 6-foot-3 point guard was one of the best floor generals in his prime, with his unique scoring ability coupled with his outstanding playmaking skills.
Out of all the players on our list here today, Porter is the only player that went outside the Top 15 in the draft. As a matter of fact, he fell all the way to 24th, which makes this selection even more impressive for the Blazers.
The 6-foot-3 point guard spent a decade in Portland, putting up averages of 14.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.6 steals.
3. Damian Lillard
Sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft
Damian Lillard took over the reins as Portland's cornerstone superstar in the 2010's. It all started for him in 2012 when the Blazers selected him sixth overall in the draft.
Portland got a bit lucky in the draft, with guys like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (second overall, Charlotte Hornets), Dion Waiters (fourth, Cleveland Cavaliers), and Thomas Robinson (fifth, Sacramento Kings) all being selected before Lillard. The 6-foot-2 Weber State point guard ended up with the Blazers at sixth, and it was not long before they realized that they had a future superstar.
Lillard has emerged into a perennial All-Star and is widely regarded as one of the best point guards in the NBA.
2. Bill Walton
First overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft
Having been established in 1970, it took the Portland Trail Blazers seven long years before they made their first appearance in the postseason. What a playoff run that turned out to be, with the team going all the way to win the title that same year (1977) — the only title in franchise history to date.
The man that led the Blazers to that historic championship was none other than the great Bill Walton, who is easily one of the greatest players in team history.
Portland struck gold during the 1974 NBA Draft, using their first overall pick on UCLA standout Bill Walton. The 6-foot-11 big man made an instant impact in the league upon his arrival, with his first All-Star appearance coming in just his third season in the league.
That season turned out to be Portland's championship-winning campaign, as Walton led the way with 18.6 points (on 52.8 percent shooting), a league-leading 14.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 3.2 blocks (also leading the league).
1. Clyde Drexler
14th overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft
Clyde Drexler is considered as many as the greatest Blazer of all time, and in all honesty, anyone would be hard-pressed to argue against this notion. Portland acquired the 6-foot-7 two-guard in '83 when they plucked him off the draft board at 14th overall.
Interestingly, the Blazers were not the original owners of this pick. They acquired the pick from the Denver Nuggets three years earlier in what was one of, if not the greatest trade deal in Blazers history.
While with the Blazers, Drexler led the team to 10 consecutive playoff appearances, including two memorable trips to the Finals in '90 and '92.
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