Trail Blazers News: Portland Works Out G League Ignite Big Man

What direction will the Blazers go in the draft?

The Portland Trail Blazers hold the No. 7 and No. 14 picks in the upcoming NBA Draft, giving them multiple options to bring new talent in. Portland has been trying to get itself back into a place of contention for the last few seasons but hasn't been able to put the right pieces fully together.

Entering this draft, the Trail Blazers need to bring in more quality depth and possibly even land on a star to build around. While this draft class isn't great by any means, it does have the chance to see a few guys rise to the top of the charts.

Portland recently brought in an exciting prospect for a pre-draft workout, G League prospect Tyler Smith. Smith played with the G League Ignite last season and has seen himself volt into the top part of this draft class.

G League Ignite’s Tyler Smith has been one of the more active prospects on the pre-draft workout circuit.

Smith visited the Trail Blazers, Heat, Lakers, Pelicans, Raptors, Knicks and Wizards, per @hoopshype.

The 6’11” 19-year-old’s range appears to be firmly in the top-25. pic.twitter.com/WfNq73dAIb

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 15, 2024

Smith averaged 13.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in the G League this season, shooting 36 percent on three-point shots. He continued to improve his game throughout the year and could be a solid addition to the Blazers talent group. Smith broke down what type of player he believes that he emulates in the league.

"Jabari Smith, Kyle Kuzma, Michael Porter Jr; those are the types of players I see myself playing like," Smith said. "Big wings who can space the floor and also play as small-ball 5s."

If Smith can turn himself into a similar player as any of these three, he will have succeeded in the NBA. This is certainly an interesting prospect for the Blazers to consider and this draft could help set them up down the line for success.

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