The Portland Trail Blazers made a left turn, then another, then drove the bus into uncharted backwoods territory in the 2025 NBA Draft, leaving analysts puzzled and fans either cursing or praying depending on their proclivities.
The Blazers started the evening with the 11th pick, standing among an acclaimed, deep class of candidates. When they originally ended up with that selection following the 2025 Draft Lottery drawing, General Manager Joe Cronin affirmed that good players would be available at their level.
As it stood, Portland had a selection of hopefuls to choose from: Arizona forward Carter Bryant, Washington State guard Cedric Coward, French forward Noa Essengue among them.