Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider) has the Portland Trail Blazers selecting Lehigh guard C.J. McCollum in his latest 2013 NBA Mock Draft. Ford also had the Blazers taking McCollum in a rendition of his mock posted earlier this month.
Analysis: The Blazers also are in need of a shooter and would have strong interest in Caldwell-Pope if he doesn't go at No. 9. McCollum is another good option. He's a bit undersized to play the 2 (Damian Lillard has the point guard spot on lockdown), but his shooting and driving ability should complement Lillard nicely. The Blazers also are looking at bigs, and Pittsburgh's Steven Adams looks like a potential fit here.
On Monday, I built a few sections of the site to help organize draft information. Here are links...
- Dave's thoughts on the various prospects collected right here
- ZiggyTheBeagle's comparative analyses collected right here
- SBNation's draft coverage collected right here
- Blazers pre-draft workout participants collected right here
Ford recently included McCollum on a list of three players piquing the Blazers' interest, along with Dario Saric (who officially withdrew from the draft on Tuesday) and Georgia guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Ford also discussed Portland's draft possibilities in a radio interview last week.
Blazers point guard Damian Lillard included McCollum on a list of his three favorite players in this year's class, along with Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel and Kansas guard Ben McLemore.
McCollum was also included in a list of the three best fits for the Blazers by a national analyst.
Lillard has been used as a comparison for McCollum as both spent four years at small schools.
You can read ZiggyTheBeagle's statistical similarity breakdowns of McCollum here.
Check out the following DraftExpress.com videos of McCollum.
The Blazers hold the No. 10 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.
PS Thanks to FPS NorthWest in the FanShots.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter