#25. Portland Trail Blazers – KZ Okpala
After drafting two backcourt players in last year’s draft and accruing multiple big men over the course of the past few years, the Portland Trail Blazers will likely be looking to improve the team’s wing rotation in this draft.
Luckily for them, a high-upside combo forward out of Stanford will be ripe for the taking with the 25th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft when the Blazers select – KZ Okpala had a strong year in his sophomore season with the Cardinal – with per-40 minutes numbers of 20.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals with a 54.5 true shooting percentage and a 37.5 percent clip from deep.
Okpala has terrific, NBA-ready size at 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, and he flashed the ability to create off the dribble with that size in his final year at Stanford.
Though his stock has fallen after a torrid start to the year, Okpala would be a terrific bet in the late first round for a Blazers team that is still battling to make it to the Western Conference Finals. Though he’s raw, wouldn’t the Blazers like to have a replacement for Evan Turner ready to go when his contract terminates? Okpala could be that guy – and more.