The Portland Trail Blazers' offseason has been surrounded by constant rumors about their franchise star, Damian Lillard. While reports claim that he wants out, Lillard has made it clear that he wants to win in the Pacific Northwest. However, the window for the Blazers is slowly closing and they need more pieces around Dame in order to become legitimate contenders in the Western Conference.
Locking up Norman Powell was huge, while CJ McCollum will be looked upon to step up in 2021/22, despite the trade rumors circling around him as well. Free Agency hasn't quite come to a close and Portland will be looking to make more notable moves, especially after losing Carmelo Anthony to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 2021 NBA Draft was never seen as an opportunity to grab any impact talent. The Blazers had no picks, but they managed to pull off a draft-night trade with the New Orleans Pelicans to acquire University of Texas forward Greg Brown III.
Let's take a look at what he brings to the table.
Greg Brown, Texas
Grade: B
Brown played his lone college season with the Longhorns and was actually a McDonalds All-American in his senior year. Brown was also a top-10 recruit heading into the NCAA. At Texas, he averaged 9.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game on 42% shooting from the field. The Blazers frontcourt could definitely use some more depth and Brown could potentially fit the bill. At 6 foot 9, he has tremendous length and is an impactful force above the rim, showcasing ridiculous bounce and explosiveness off the dribble.
Brown's athleticism and defensive prowess were definitely seen as a positive to the Blazers. His ability to defend basically all positions on the floor is a huge benefit, especially since Portland is statistically one of the worst defensive teams in the Association. While he is more than capable of generating offense around the hoop, it's usually off put-backs or slam dunks. He's not the best at creating his own shot, draining just 32% of his three-point attempts at Texas.
Driving down the baseline and simply overpowering his college opponents won't happen at the NBA level because defenders are stronger and smarter. That's why Brown will have to develop his stroke from downtown in order to be a more complete offensive weapon for the Blazers. Brown needs to limit the turnovers as well and be smarter with his decision-making. He had 60 of them before the NCAA tournament began. His numbers at the collegiate level were definitely below what was expected of him, hence why he dropped to the second round of the draft.
But, after all, he was the Gatorade Texas High School Player of the Year in 2019/20. There's a ton of potential in Brown's skillset, it's just a matter of developing it in the NBA. His role in year one will probably be limited, but Brown has the potential to be a solid player for the Blazers in the near future, especially on the defensive end.
This was by no means a bad acquisition by GM Neil Olshey. We've seen lots of guys who don't necessarily but up huge numbers in college thrive in the NBA. Greg Brown could be another.
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