Grading Portland Trail Blazers' Draft-Day Decisions

On Thursday, the Portland Trail Blazers had the chance to add five new players to their squad during the 2013 NBA draft.

Seeing as they’re losing several players to free agency, this was a great opportunity to snag some new talent to play alongside last year’s star rookie Damian Lillard. 

Let’s take a look at the five young guns the Blazers roster now boasts after last night.

C.J. McCollum, G, Lehigh

The Blazers drafted the senior Lehigh guard with the 10th pick in the first round of the draft. C.J. McCollum had solid averages last season: 23.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists per 31.0 minutes of game play.

Only Damian Lillard, Will Barton and Wesley Matthews are guaranteed to come back to play at the guard position next season, according to HoopsWorld. With his multiple years of experience at Lehigh, McCollum was a great choice for the Trail Blazers on Thursday.

Grade: A

Allen Crabbe, SG, California

With their 31st pick in the second round, the Trail Blazers selected another guard. This time, it was Allen Crabbe—a shooting guard from California who just completed his junior year before entering the draft.

Last season with California, Crabbe averaged 18.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 36.2 minutes. Obviously, Crabbe has strength on the boards, and he has size, too. He stands at 6’6" and weighs 210 lbs.

As previously mentioned, the Blazers need to add to the guard position. They were smart to add a shooting guard to their team, and Crabbe was a solid pick.

Grade: A-

Jeff Withey, C, Kansas

Then came the 39th pick in the second round. Portland selected Jeff Withey, a senior center from Kansas. Withey has impressive statistics; with Kansas last season, he averaged 13.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.9 blocks in 30.9 minutes of game play.

Considering big man J.J. Hickson is expected to walk away from Portland, it’s no surprise that the Blazers are looking for someone to help fill his shoes. Granted, those are big shoes to fill, but Withey’s strength on the boards bodes well for next season.

Grade: A-

Grant Jerrett, PF, Arizona

With the 40th pick in the second round, Portland grabbed power forward Grant Jerrett. The Arizona forward just finished his freshman year, having averaged 5.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 17.8 minutes per game.

Jerrett is young and will definitely need more experience before he develops into a solid NBA player. However, his size is impressive—he stands at 6’10" and weighs 235 pounds. If he works hard and remains focused, Jerrett could be a good asset for Portland in the future.

Grade: B

Marko Todorovic, C, Montenegro

Finally, Portland acquired center Marko Todorovic at the 45th pick in the second round on Thursday evening. Todorovic is different than the other newcomers; he’s not a college player, but instead, hails from Montenegro.

The 21-year-old center played in Spain last season, averaging 2.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 7.0 minutes each game. The 6’11", 240-pound big man doesn’t seem to have much experience, but like Jerrett, his size may be an advantage if he can develop overtime in Portland.

Grade: C+