For better or worse, this offseason is most likely going to be very quiet. Expect a 9-man rotation Of Dame, CJ, Hood, Collins, Nurk, GTJ, Melo, Ariza, and Ant. Add a depth piece free agent at the front court and/or backup pg and that’s your 2021 roster. Don’t get me wrong, I like that team, and if healthy will be around 50 wins next year. But that also means this offseason will be pretty boring.

That said, I suspect the most interesting addition will be this years 1st round pick, which leads me to Aleksej Pokusevski (Poku). For those who don’t follow the draft, Poku is quite easily the biggest boom or bust prospect in this draft class. He’s 7’ with a 7’3" reach, and not only plays like a wing, he looks like a guy who’d be 6’5". What stands out in highlights is his fluidity and balance as an athlete. There’s no player comparison that comes to mind, even when thinking back 3 decades. Maybe Toni Kukoc? or a 7’ version of Goran Dragic perhaps? except right handed. The shooting has been inconsistent, but to the eye he’s got intriguing shooting mechanics, showing the ability to catch and shoot off screens, and even shoot off the dribble. The balance and fluidity again, are striking. Also in his highlight package is an advanced handle, a penchant for grabbing and going the length of the floor off of defensive rebounds, and what some are calling an advanced ability to create off the pass in both the half and full court.

The problems, and the reasons he’s not in the conversation for a top 5 pick in an otherwise unimpressive lottery class, is that he’s just 200lbs, has underwhelming burst often playing beneath the rim, questionable motor, and plays in an Olympiacos B league whose competition level looks about par with the JUCO level. I’ve seen him mocked as high as the mid to late lottery, and as low as the early 2nd round. He’s also the youngest player in this draft class. Undoubtedly he’d need at least a year, and probably 2 to get used to the jump in competition, iron out his offensive game, and gain at least 20 lbs of muscle before he come see any playing time.

But here’s the thing, the blazers typically develop their draft picks 2-3 years before seeing court time. Beyond this point, I believe the blazers are in a unique position to take a swing on a boom or bust prospect. To me, this feels similar to the nuggets drafting Michael Porter despite knowing he’d be 2 years away from contributing. The potential payoff could be something similar. Perhaps even higher? If he’s the 7’ wing with not only the outside shooting needed for this offense, but advanced playmaking and passing (similar to Nurkic, but from the wing position) this changes the ceiling for this offense. I could foresee a nice pairing with Nassir little at the forward spots, and Collins coming off the bench.

The other angle to this pick is that I think this team would be ideal for Poku and his development. Not only are the blazers good at developing young talent, but have in place great leadership, a system in place with seasoned vets, a great development culture, and two players in Nurkic and Hezonia who are from the Balkans. If you’re going to take a risk on a player like this, it’s better to be where the blazers are at rather than, say, the Knicks or the Cavs.

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