Everyone's abuzz about Jaylen Hoard
Here's what we know about the standout areas of the #3 overall selection out of Wake Forest within a narrow range:
Current:
54 FGD
39-40 Mid-Range
36-37 Corner
34 ATB
75 Defense
60-62 Steals
85-87 Discipline
79-82 IQ
Glorious shooting and ready-made defense - only Aaron Holiday grades out as higher in the latter category and a half-step below Holiday and Hamidou Diallo "The Younger" in ball-theft. In terms of discipline and IQ, he's in line with Domantas Sabonis and behind Cameron Oliver (then again, everyone's behind Oliver).
That said, we don't expect Hoard to contend for Rookie of the Year honors - he simply won't score enough, even on the alpha-less Blazers team. But he's a kid who plugs into the SF spot for the next decade with nary an eye-blink and forces opponents to not rely so much on zones, because he'll find ways to get open and break them - especially as he grows in aggression (indeed, his scoring is his greatest room for development).
Even more so the lack of opportunities if Portland pulls the plug on Holiday to bring in a young player who would step in as the team's leading scorer - a deal the Blazers are still deeply contemplating and one would that would require other factors to align.
But what about the second round pick?
Well, first of all, it's important to know his inspiration:
Hanamichi Sakuragi: Totes inspo for Portland's 2nd round pick
Yes, none other than the Rebound King himself, Hanamichi Sakuragi of Shohoku High School inspired the University of Iowa's Adam Woodbury. "When I watched the Slam Dunk! anime and read the manga, I knew immediately that's who I wanted to model my game after," said Woodbury. "I mean, Rebound King is an awesome title and I kinda suck because I'm tall, white, and stiff like Eric Montross, so why not?"
Indeed, CSL draft analysts say that while Woodbury brings nothing else to the table, he's a quality rebounder. And he'll take over the backup minutes behind Laurynas Birutis, because literally the only person he has to beat is Jack Salt, who despite his name has no flavor, being a completely vanilla and trash player.
Weeb Adam Woodbury: Making Portland Salt-free
