The Portland Trail Blazers were expected to fall to the bottom of the league's standings after trading Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. Unsurprisingly, that's where they wound up. They ended the year tied with the Charlotte Hornets for the third-worst record in the NBA. But, for their troubles, they have the fourth-best odds at landing the number one pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. They should target players like Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, and Donovan Clingan with that pick.
Zaccharie Risacher, Forward, JL Bourg
The Blazers' No. 1 priority in the NBA draft should be to bolster their frontcourt. They are already stacked with guards in the form of Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson, and Shaedon Sharpe. Portland does have a couple of young potential role players like Kris Murray, Jabari Walker, and Toumani Camara, but they could use more juice on the wing. That could come in the form of Zaccharie Risacher.
Risacher has an argument to being the best defensive player in this year's draft class. He is twitchy and agile with a ton of size and length at 6-foot-9 and 193 pounds. That allows him to guard just about any position on the floor.
Offensively, he isn't exactly a bucket-getter, but the Blazers don't need that from him. They have plenty of that with Simons, Sharpe, Henderson, and the veteran Jerami Grant. But, Risacher still finds ways to be extremely useful on that end. He is a good shooter who can make space for those guys to create. Not only that, but he can create off-the-bounce and attack closeouts when given an advantage.
Risacher's game is not all that dissimilar to Mikal Bridges'. That's the type of player that the Blazers need on their current roster. Risacher fitting the timeline of their young core is the icing on the cake. He should be Portland's priority for the 2024 NBA draft.
Alex Sarr, Forward, Perth Wildcats
If the Blazers can't draft one French forward, perhaps they'll be able to land a different one. Alex Sarr, brother of Oklahoma City Thunder big man Olivier Sarr, would also be a great get for Portland. He does not have the perimeter skills that Risacher has, but he could find ways to fit in there as well. He may be a big guy at 7-foot-1 and 217 pounds, but he can really defend on the perimeter.
He also has a chance to be a very stout rim protector. He averaged 2.8 blocks per 36 minutes for the Perth Wildcats in the Australian NBL. It wasn't like he was garnering those stats in meaningless games or garbage time either. Sarr had a legit role on a team that made the NBL Finals. He knows how to step into a pro team and system and impact winning right away.
The one issue regarding Sarr's fit with Portland is that his best position is center. The Blazers actually have a few options at that spot. Deandre Ayton did not have a stellar inaugural season in Portland, but he still has 2 more years and $69 million left on his deal. Robert Williams III is also there. He only played six games this year for the Blazers, but also has 2 more seasons left on his contract at just $25.7 million.
That could lead to Sarr potentially playing at the four or coming off the bench to begin his career, but neither of those two looks like the center of the future for Portland. Sarr could be, which makes him a worthwhile target.
Donovan Clingan, Center, Connecticut Huskies
Just about everything regarding Alex Sarr applies to Donovan Clingan. Clingan also stepped into a new program and impacted winning. The Huskies won two national championships in his two seasons at Storrs thanks to his rim protection and anchoring of their defense. Clingan isn't much of a scorer but helps his offense by cleaning the glass, finishing at the rim, and rolling hard to the rim.
It could take a while for the Blazers to hand him the keys, but he can contribute in the meantime anyway. He'd also make a fantastic selection for Portland early in the first round.
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