A case for drafting Sam Young (Pitt) with the 24th overall pick

Much of the draft talk this year has centered around our Blazers' two biggest needs: a new starting PG and a Back Up PF (BUPF).  I agree with many Bedgers that those two roles are the most important for the Blazers to fill during this offseason, that is why I am advocating that the Blazers avoid targeting a PG or PF in this draft.  Instead I am going to suggest we use our draft pick for something else this year.

Now that does not mean the Blazers should avoid the PG and PF positions all together; if Ricky Rubio or DeJuan Blair happen to slip out of the lottery it would be smart for Portland to attempt to trade up for either of them.  I just don't see any players worth trading up for slipping that far. 

From what I have seen and read about Young he could become a valuable assest to the Blazers.  I read draft express like many other Bedgers for my scouting reports and Young's profile makes me think he would be a great fit for this team.  I envision Young being a back up SF with a possibility of him contributing limited minutes at the PF position if needed.  With strengths like perimeter defense, physical toughness, athleticism, and a long wingspan to accompany a 3Pt% of 37.2 he fits Nate's mold for a SF. 

Now I am going to give my opinion on a couple of concerns people may have with drafting Sam Young.

"We already have a log jam at the SF position." This is true.  We currently have Batum, Webster, Outlaw, and Rudy that will all be jockeying to get minutes at SF next season.  First, I don't see all four of those players returning to the Blazers next season.  I see at least one of them (likely Outlaw) being used to bring in an upgrade at PG or BUPF.  That would alleviate some of the log jam.  Also as we learned this year with Batum it is important to have depth at all positions.  Imagine if we trade Outlaw this summer and then Batum or Webster suffered an injury; we would be hurting. 

"Why are we even talking about a SF, we need a PG or a BUPF?" Totally true.  Unfortunately we have a late pick in a weak draft, that does not bode well for us drafting a rotation player that can fill one of our two needs.  Now maybe I am wrong about that, it is possible that Gani Lawal could become a stellar BUPF and if KP thinks so he should go that direction.  But when I see people talking about drafting Gani Lawal I get the feeling we would just be picking up the PF scraps that are still hanging around.  IMO that is not a smart way to draft, and that is why I don't see KP doing it.  Also I think Joel Freeland would be a better player than Gani Lawal.

"So how do we fix the PG and BUPF hole that we have?" Trades and free agency.  Instead of drafting the best player available at a position of need we go out and target players that have proven themselves in the NBA.  Those are the players that can bring a fresh perspective to our team and will be ready to go on day one of training camp to make a deep run into the playoffs.  Who we get and how we get them are topics for a different post, many different posts.

I just wanted to share a perspective on the draft I haven't heard many people talking about and I will leave you with a highlight video.