Trail Blazers News: Fresh Mock Projects Portland Drafting International Forward

The team will take all the talent it can get!

Nov 3, 2023; Portland, Oregon, USA; The Portland Trail Blazers logo at center court before the game. / Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

A fresh mock draft from Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projects that the Portland Trail Blazers will select 19-year-old French small forward/shooting guard Zaccharie Risacher out of JL Bourg-en-Bresse with the third pick in this June's forthcoming draft.

Wasserman compares the 6'8" international wing to Sacramento Kings combo forward Harrison Barnes, who in his Golden State Warriors prime was a 3-and-D floor-spacer who thrived as the fifth-best player on a title team. Ideally, of course, you'd be drafting for an All-Star talent with the third pick, but a versatile, championship-level starter is nothing to sneeze at, either. At present, it's really unclear how many of Portland's 25-and-under crowd even qualifies for that bar.

"Despite a late-season slump, there is still belief in Zaccharie Risacher's shotmaking," Wasserman writes. "The Portland Trail Blazers figure to be drawn to the idea of giving Scoot Henderson a 6'8" shooter and athletic finisher.With his jumper off lately, it was a good sign to see him convert five two-point field goals against Paris, showing off his slashing, some finishing strength and bounce on a contested two-handed alley-oop.Still, the appeal to Risacher focuses mostly on three-and-D, as the eye test buy his high, quick release, while his positional size, length and foot speed consistently pop on defensive contests."

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