NBA Mock Draft: Portland Trail Blazers Select Luke Kennard From Duke

SB Nation's NBA Network conducted a mock draft with bloggers from each team site making their team's pick. To continue the 2017 NBA Mock Draft, Blazer’s Edge takes Luke Kennard from Duke

By Dakota Schmidt@Dakota_Schmidt Jun 15, 2017, 7:00pm EDT

ACC Basketball Tournament - Championship

NBA Mock Draft Pick #15: Luke Kennard, Shooting Guard, Duke

SBNation’s Portland Trail Blazers’ blog Blazer’s Edge explains their pick:

The Blazers should be open to trading any of their picks, including #15, but Luke Kennard makes sense if they select here. They are essentially drafting a better, and much cheaper Allen Crabbe (who would also be available in trade in this scenario). An elite shooter at 6'6", Kennard can play shooting guard when Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum sit. He could also play small forward alongside them in a smaller lineup. Although not a tremendous athlete, Kennard's IQ and great basketball instincts honed at Duke give Portland the third creator from the perimeter they desperately lack. The Blazers could also fill a hole at backup center with this pick, but with so many quality centers still on the board, they could take Kennard and still grab a good big at 20.

Ridiculous Upside Analysis

Although there’s a strong possibility that Portland ends up trading both #15 and #20 in an attempt to get a solid veteran, Kennard’s a good pick if they decide to stay in the draft. Like what Blazer’s Edge mentioned, Kennard stands as a solid wing that can facilitate but is also arguably the best shooter in this year’s draft. That statement is backed up by him shooting 44% from beyond the arc on 5.4 perimeter attempts per game. Kennard’s perimeter efficiency should allow him to have an immediate role on a young Trail Blazers team that might be on the cusp of really being a force in the Western Conference.