Three Blazers Prospects to Target in March Madness Mock Drafts

The Portland Trail Blazers are having people in their scouting department keep a close eye on March Madness, which begins this week.

The Blazers could have a lottery pick in this year's draft, which is viewed as one of the deepest in recent memory. Here's a look at who the Blazers could take based on mock drafts from across the internet.

Bryan Kalbrosky, USA Today: Tennessee PF Nate Ament

Tennessee Volunteers forward Nate Ament dribbles the ball past Vanderbilt Commodores forward Tyler Nickel. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

"After a relatively slow and inefficient start to the season, Tennessee freshman Nate Ament is starting to realize some of his lofty expectations. The freshman averaged 21.6 points per game while shooting 38.9 percent on 3-pointers during a 13-game stretch before an injury against Alabama on Feb. 28," Kalbrosky wrote.

"The All-SEC forward then had 27 points (4-of-6 on 3-pointers) with eight rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal against Auburn on March 12. It will only take one team to fall in love with Ament and given so much of what he brings to the table cannot be taught, that team is probably picking fairly early in the lottery."

Our Take: Ament is definitely someone the Blazers should keep an eye on during the tournament. Out of the three players listed in this article, he is the only one that should be participating in March Madness. Ament is someone that could have been a top five pick in other years, but given how deep this class is, he may be able to fall around the back half of the lottery.

The Blazers are in need of a power forward to put next to Donovan Clingan in the frontcourt as the future replacement for Jerami Grant, who just turned 32 years old. Putting Ament as the power forward between Clingan and All-Star forward Deni Avdija could be a winning recipe for success.

Jeremy Woo, ESPN.com: New Zealand Breakers PF Karim Lopez

"Lopez finished out a strong individual season in the NBL, totaling the most points, steals and blocks ever by a draft-eligible Next Stars player," Woo wrote.

"While this came in a losing context, NBA teams are optimistic about his mix of size, skill and toughness, keeping him in the late-lottery mix going into the predraft process. Scouts feel he needs to make strides as a shooter, improve defensively and maximize his frame to ultimately stick as a stretch 4, which is his most natural position long term."

Our Take: Lopez has been viewed as one of the top international prospects in this year's draft, and he has been on NBA radars for a few years now. He turns 19 in April, so there is still a lot of rawness to his game, but he did average 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in 31 appearances for the New Zealand Breakers this past season.

Lopez would likely end up in the G League next season with the Rip City remix if he were to come to Portland, but this is someone that could be a good long-term project for the Blazers to work on.

Zach Buckley, Bleacher Report: North Carolina PF Caleb Wilson

"With such a strongly defined top three in this prospect class, the No. 4 pick feels like it should be a fascinating pivot point. There's just one problem with that: Wilson might have a mini-tier all to himself," Buckley wrote.

"Maybe some will disagree, since he's not much of a shooter or creator, but he still pairs so many average-or-above skills with explosive athleticism and an elite motor. Portland, the biggest lottery leapers, would almost certainly pounce on the chance to solidify a possible win-now-and-later frontcourt featuring Wilson, Deni Avdija, and Donovan Clingan."

Our Take: In this particular mock draft, a lottery simulation took place, and the Blazers ended up moving into the top four, where they were able to take North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson.

Wilson has all the tools needed to be an absolute stud in the NBA. In his freshman season with the Tar Heels, he is averaging 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. While he isn't the best three-point shooter, his all-around game would be enough for the Blazers to say yes if he was available when the team is on the clock.