With the 23rd pick in the 2015 NBA Draft the Portland Trailblazers select Trey Lyles, Forward, Kentucky.
BobbyGeezo:
We chose Trey Lyles based on the best player available strategy, and we're shocked to see him fall to us here. We feel that he can play either small forward or power forward. No matter what happens with LaMarcus Aldridge, we feel pretty confident going forward. We ultimately see him fitting in as a stretch power forward in the NBA.
Lyles has tremendous upside and the ability to add to his frame. He has shown great promise in the offensive aspect of his game and flashes of defensive potential (although the latter is what he must severely improve upon). He had a knack for finishing around the basket and his transition game was not that bad either. While he won't wow you with athletic ability or awe inspiring defense, his passing skills for a big man are pretty fantastic.
With Kevin Looney still on the board the pick of Lyles was an offense over defense move. Both have great upside but the fact that Aldridge could be leaving would leave a huge gap in the offense. No rookie would be able to replace what LaMarcus can do but having someone with as much upside as Lyles is never a bad thing.
*Will the Thrill Barton (aka The People's Champ) made a name for himself in Denver … seeing this uptick in stats LaMarcus Aldridge decided to sign in Denver as well :p*
Here is a breakdown of the draft so far:
Selection | Team | GM | Player Taken |
1 | T-wolves | Russscot | Karl Anthony Towns |
2 | Lakers | Rocky Mountain Way | D’Angelo Russel |
3 | 76ers | Fishbowlin | Emmanuel Mudiay |
4 | Knicks | CombatChuk | Justise Winslow |
5 | Magic | moondoggie12 | Kristaps Porzingis |
6 | Kings | Mr_RyMo | Jahlil Okafor |
7 | Nuggets | Agaliarept | Mario Hezonja |
8 | Pistons | TheMozgovCocktail | Stanley Johnson |
9 | Hornets | It’s the LAW SON | Devin Booker |
10 | Heat | teenasty | Willie Cauley Stein |
11 | Pacers | cubobafett56 | Myles Turner |
12 | Jazz | Zachm19 | Frank Kaminsky |
13 | Suns | LuckyStiff | Kelly Oubre |
14 | Thunder | Salticus | Tyus Jones |
15 | Hawks | George Karl Marx | Sam Dekker |
16 | Celtics | rps23 | Montrezl Harrell |
17 | Bucks | okan.idug | Bobby Portis |
18 | Rockets | dynamoe.joe | Delon Wright |
19 | Wizards | Timing | Justin Anderson |
20 | Raptors | Pozz303 | Cameron Payne |
21 | Mavericks | The_NGUYENNER | Jerian Grant |
22 | Bulls | What you Shawquin about? | RJ Hunter |
23 | Blazers | BobbyGeezo | Trey Lyles |
NC_Bronco89 and the Cleveland Cavaliers are on the clock.