The Portland Trail Blazers continued their predraft workouts this week, bringing in another group of under-the-radar prospects. However, their latest batch had one exception: Duke guard Jared McCain.
In 2023-24, McCain averaged 14.3 points per game while shooting 41.4 percent from 3. Though somewhat of a late riser on draft boards, he’s the most notable prospect the Blazers have brought in. In fact, he’s the only one projected to be a potential lottery pick.
Today’s Blazers predraft workout session participants:
Daniss Jenkins (St. John’s)
Dillon Jones (Weber State)
Spencer Jones (Stanford)
Jared McCain (Duke)
Noah Penda (JA Vichy-Clermont)
Armel Traore (Ada Blois)— Sean Highkin (@highkin) June 4, 2024
As a reminder, Portland holds the No. 7 and No. 14 picks in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Can Jared McCain Bring Blazers Much-Needed Stability?
Malcolm Brogdon is set to be on the final year of his contract in 2024-25. At 31 years old, he could look for a contending team when he becomes a free agent. His expiring contract also makes him a trade candidate.
He’s not the only one that may be involved in a changing of the guard either, as Anfernee Simons may go the way of Damian Lillard. Simons doesn’t have the cachet of the likely future Hall of Famer. Nonetheless, he could push for a trade if the Blazers don’t start winning soon.
Anfernee Simons: “We don’t want to have another year like this. My sixth year is done now, going into year seven, I want to have the opportunity to win.”
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) April 15, 2024
Taken all together, it’s a perfect storm for a player like McCain. Though he’ll start the season off the bench behind Simons, he should open up options for Portland on the court and in the C-suite.
The Eye of the Storm
With the development of 2023 No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson and 2022 No. 7 pick Shaedon Sharpe a priority, they need a player who can complement them both. The archetype that they’d be looking for is a strong outside shooter —to play off of and balance with Henderson —and defender.
Again, in his sole season with the Blue Devils, McCain knocked down 41.4 percent of his 3s. 55.4 percent of his field goal attempts came from beyond the arc. An elite outside threat with limitless range, he can get his off-the-dribble or in catch-and-shoot situations. At the other end, McCain’s at his best off-ball. However, with his awareness, activity, and nose for the ball, he creates a lot of chaos.
Another benefit of drafting McCain is that he can also play alongside either Brogdon or Simons. At 6-foot-3, his height is on the smaller side, but he has a solid build at 203 pounds. In fact, as he’s more of a scorer than playmaker, having one of Henderson, Brogdon, or Simons beside him in the backcourt is ideal.
