The Trail Blazers have some big decisions to make regarding Damian Lillard.
Portland parlayed a 10.6 percent chance at the Draft Lottery into the No. 3 selection, leapfrogging the Pistons and Rockets for that pick.
Do the Trail Blazers trade the No. 3 pick into win-now assets to help their superstar Lillard? Or do they lean into a rebuild and select the best player available, even if it is guard Scoot Henderson?
Where does Portland land in the draft order? Here is everything you need to know ahead of the 2023 NBA Draft.
NBA MOCK DRAFT 2023: Scoot Henderson vs. Brandon Miller debate takes center stage in full two-round edition
Trail Blazer draft picks 2023: When does Portland pick?
The Trail Blazers have three picks in the 2023 NBA Draft.
- Round 1, No. 3
- Round 1, No. 23
- Round 2, No. 43
Portland was one of the big winners of the Draft Lottery, jumping ahead of the Rockets and Pistons into the No. 3 pick after a challenging 33-49 season.
They got their No. 23 first-round pick from the New York Knicks in a deal at the NBA trade deadline in February, when they sent out Josh Hart and two second-round picks for Cam Reddish, Matisse Thybulle, Ryan Arcidiacono, and this lottery-protected first-round pick.
Trail Blazers 2023 NBA Draft order
| Round | Pick | Selection |
| 1 | 3 | TBD |
| 1 | 23 | TBD |
| 2 | 43 | TBD |
Trail Blazers draft needs
- Defense: Back in November, Damian Lillard made a strong declaration to the doubters of his defensive capabilities; “I think people have said things about me defensively without understanding what real responsibility is when you’re leading a team and how hard that is. So I make it a point: We gonna see about it,”. Unfortunately for Blazers fans the rubber didn’t meet the road on Lillard’s words, as the Trail Blazers had the third-worst defensive rating in the NBA last season.
NBA Mock Draft 2023
If Portland decides to keep this pick, in his most recent mock draft, The Sporting News’ Kyle Irving has the Trail Blazers selecting the G League Ignite’s Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 pick.
“If you’re unfamiliar with Henderson, he was a five-star recruit who ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the high school Class of 2022. He finished his high school credits early and signed a seven-figure deal to play for the Ignite at the age of 17, technically making him the youngest professional basketball player in United States history.”
In a vacuum, and not alongside Damian Lillard, Henderson has a lot of exciting attributes;
“With solid size, strength and length at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds with a reported 6-foot-9 wingspan, Henderson already looks the part of a combo guard at the NBA level.”
SCOUTING REPORT: Scoot Henderson is much more than a consolation prize in Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes