The NBA is a funny place. Each year teams select from a horde of promising, young candidates in the NBA Draft. Some prospects are “can’t miss”, others longshots. Then those new draftees get thrown into the action and…chaos results. Obviously some high picks end up great! LeBron James got chosen first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. He’s turned out kind of ok. Other premium selections don’t pan out at all. And then there are guys like Nikola Jokic, whom the Blazers will play when they
face the Denver Nuggets tonight at 6:00 PM, Pacific. The Joker got taken with the 41st overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. He’s now considered the best single player in the league.
As such, Jokic has traditionally been a strong answer to, “Which player would you take to start your brand-new roster if you had to rebuild from scratch?” Building around Jokic guarantees a team a completely unique talent and a legitimate shot at deep playoffs runs.
But a funny thing is happening. 2014 is farther in the rear-view mirror than you think. Jokic is now 31 years old, no longer a youthful player, but a seasoned veteran. Like LeBron before him, he is now fading into the category of, “Still want him, but wouldn’t take him to start a new team.”
Portland Trail Blazers fans were no doubt hoping that Scoot Henderson—taken third overall in 2023—would fall into this category. Scoot is starting to shine, but he’s not in Jokic-LeBron territory yet.
That leaves open a question: Who is the next young player around which you’d want to build the Blazers or your favorite team?
The obvious chorus of answers will revolve around San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama. You’re right. He’s the consensus candidate, and for good reason. But let’s say that Wemby is occupied and not available to fill that role. Who is the next player on your list? The question gets a lot harder at that point.
We’re posing it to you today. You get one player to bolster the Blazers and center their future around. With franchise longevity in mind, the guy should be 26 years of age or younger. You can’t choose Victor Wembanyama. Which player do you take?
Share your candidate in the comments section below and explain why you took him. We’ll be curious to read your responses, because this puzzle is hard to solve.
