NBA Mock Draft: Portland Trail Blazers Select Robert Upshaw From Washington

NBA Mock Draft Pick #23 -- Robert Upshaw, Center, Washington

SB Nation's Blazers blog, BlazersEdge, explains the pick:

The Blazers get exactly what they needed from the draft: a solid defender at a position of need. Upshaw is a dynamic athlete, capable of taking over a game on the defensive end of the floor and sweeping clean the offensive glass. He has scary agility for someone who is seven feet tall, showed a great deal of improvement from his freshman year, and led the nation in blocks as a sophomore before being dismissed from the team.

Therein lies the risk. This is a DeMarcus Cousins situation: Upshaw could be an All-Star in four years, or he could be entirely out of the league. Being dismissed twice in two years from two different schools is definitely a large red flag, and Upshaw will need to work on controlling his demons at the NBA level.

With that in mind, we are talking a DeAndre Jordan/Ben Wallace/Rudy Gobert type player who is easily capable of averaging 12 rebounds and 3 blocks per game. Upshaw's offensive game leaves a great deal to be desired, but his defensive instincts are already at an NBA level. Even if he only averages four or five points per game, he is a game changer in one of Portland's greatest weaknesses last season: interior defense.