Even though the Portland Trail Blazers ended their 2016-17 season woefully short on big bodies due to injury, they didn’t necessarily set out to address that issue through the 2017 Draft. But in the end, President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey’s strict edict of selecting the best player available regardless of position or need just happened to result in Portland coming away with two players who should ensure they finish next season with plenty of options in the front court.
On a night when many though the Trail Blazers might try to use their three first-round picks to shed salary or trade for a veteran, they did neither, instead using their first two picks to move up to select Gonzaga center Zach Collins while keeping their third pick to select Purdue forward Caleb Swanigan.