Portland Trail Blazers: Will Barton and C.J. McCollum

With free agency bringing incremental improvements and trades so-far non-existent this summer, the best hope for the Portland Trail Blazers leaping forward this year lies with their young players. Today we want to solicit your opinion on a couple of the smaller guys.

Will Barton had the chance to thrill Portland fans last year with dunks and dribbles, playing small forward and shooting guard, occasionally bringing the ball up the floor even. He's got crazy flipper fingers and plays a mean pinball, but does he fit into Portland's team-oriented style? If not, is he good enough to justify minutes in the rotation anyway?

C.J. McCollum's rookie year fell prey to injuries but he's got a shot, swagger, and could turn into a two-way player. Like Barton, he's a candidate for multiple-position glory. But we've not seen his top game and he's often looked quiet and/or confused on the court.

Which of these two has the brighter future in a Portland uniform? How do you assess them so far and what do you anticipate their ceiling being?

It's a community-wide discussion. Register your opinion in the comment section below.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)