New Options for Trail Blazers with No. 11 Pick

Three options for Portland with their late-lottery pick at the 2025 NBA Draft.
Nov 21, 2024; Spokane, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars guard Cedric Coward (0) shoots a free throw against the Eastern Washington Eagles in the second half at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images
Nov 21, 2024; Spokane, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars guard Cedric Coward (0) shoots a free throw against the Eastern Washington Eagles in the second half at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images / James Snook-Imagn Images

The NBA Draft is always a fluid experience, with risers, fallers and out-of-nowhere picks being made year after year.

The 2025 draft will be no different, with a handful of players who have already seen their pre-draft stock boon. And with that, there’s been subsequent fallers, 

While we’ve already offered options for the Portland Trail Blazers with their late-lottery pick, let’s re-evaluate now that stock has shifted:

Cedric Coward, Washington State

Coward’s likely done more to improve his pre-draft stock than anyone, seeing his decent height at 6-foot-5 without shoes and long wingspan confirmed at 7-foot-2, all while excelling in running, jumping and shooting drills.

Coward played just six games at Washington State this year due to a torn labrum, but still managed to show some improvement in such a short time. He projects to shoot the ball well — having done so for his collegiate career — with potentially sound interior finishing and defense.

In the Trail Blazers core, Coward would function as a lengthy wing capable of play-finishing and potentially adding more to his game.

Rasheer Fleming, St. Joe’s

At 6-foot-9, Fleming too has had a solid pre-draft process, seeing his 7-foot-5 wingspan confirmed. 

Across his time at St. Joes, he averaged 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 53% overall and 39% from beyond the arc.

Fleming is forward-sized, but has the length to play and guard some centers. While his jumper isn’t the purest available, it certainly goes in, and he projects to be a solid 3-point shooter for his NBA career.

Fleming would fit Portland’s core well as a lengthy rim-runner and defensive play-maker, but adds a dash of ranged shooting with size the team simply doesn’t have at the moment.

Egor Demin, BYU

Demin made the short-list on the first go round, and stays put here a second time.

While an obviously flawed prospect, there’s few players in the class that would help the Trail Blazers more at their ceiling than Demin as a 6-foot-8, pass-first guard.

If Portland is still willing to be patient, swinging for the fences on Demin could net them a star down the line.

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Derek Parker
DEREK PARKER

Derek Parker covers the National Basketball Association, and has brought On SI five seasons of coverage across several different teams. He graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2020, and has experience working in print, video and radio.