Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsOver the past 10 NBA Drafts (2006-2015), the Portland Trail Blazers have made 29 selections, yielding three All-Stars in Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy.
The following table details the Blazers’ track record by tiers, noting the number of All-Stars and starters selected, along with players who either never made the league or were out in five years or less:
| Tier | Picks | All-Star | All-Star Appearances | Starter* | Not in NBA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | 2 | 1 (50%) | 5 | 1 (50%) | 0 |
| 6-10 | 3 | 2 (66.7%) | 5 | 2 (66.7%) | 0 |
| 11-15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16-20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21-25 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 (20%) | 4 (80%) |
| 26-30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (100%) |
| 31-40 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (14.3%) |
| 41-50 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (50%) |
| 51-60 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 (80%) |
| Total | 29 | 3 (10.3%) | 10 | 4 (13.8%) | 12 (41.4%) |
*Starter criteria determined as an average of 50 or more starts, over at least 40 percent of the player’s career.
The following is the league average over the same tiers:
| Tier | All-Star | Starter | Not in NBA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | 12 (24%) | 30 (60%) | 3 (6%) |
| 6-10 | 8 (16%) | 30 (60%) | 7 (14%) |
| 11-15 | 2 (4%) | 12 (24%) | 8 (16%) |
| 16-20 | 3 (6%) | 10 (20%) | 8 (16%) |
| 21-25 | 2 (4%) | 8 (16%) | 15 (30%) |
| 26-30 | 1 (2%) | 5 (10%) | 20 (40%) |
| 31-40 | 1 (2%) | 11 (11%) | 52 (52%) |
| 41-50 | 2 (2%) | 8 (8%) | 70 (70%) |
| 51-60 | 1 (1%) | 1 (1%) | 87 (87%) |
| Total | 32 (5.3%) | 115 (19.7%) | 270 (45.0%) |
The Blazers were set-back by injuries with high picks Greg Oden and Brandon Roy. Roy was quickly, but briefly, an All-Star. Despite 29 picks, the Blazers have found just four starters – and three are gone. With that said, C.J. McCollum is track to be their fifth.
Note that players are included with the team through any draft-day trades. Some teams pick well but let an eventual starter leave for another, but that’s beyond the scope of this article. Recently drafted players have yet to officially pass the “at least five years” test, but were considered as such if on a team’s roster by the end of the 2015-16 season.
Additionally, recent picks who have yet to join the NBA may still do so, but for this analysis are considered “out.”
Pick History 2006-2015
All-Stars: LaMarcus Aldridge (2006-2), Brandon Roy (2006-6), Damian Lillard (2012-6)
Starters: Aldridge, Roy, Nicolas Batum (2008-25), Lillard
Rotation Players: Greg Oden (2007-1), Josh McRoberts (2007-37), Jerryd Bayless (2008-11), Jeff Ayres (2009-31), Dante Cunningham (2009-33), Patrick Mills (2009-55), Luke Babbitt (2010-16), Meyers Leonard (2012-11), Will Barton (2012-40), C.J. McCollum (2013-10), Allen Crabbe (2013-31), Jeff Withey (2013-39), Pat Connaughton (2015-41)
Out in Five Years or Less: Joel Freeland (2006-30), Rudy Fernandez (2007-24), Petteri Koponen (2007-30), Taurean Green (2007-52), Victor Claver (2009-22), Elliot Williams (2010-22), Armon Johnson (2010-34), Nolan Smith (2011-21), Jon Diebler (2011-51), Tanguy Ngombo (2011-57), Marko Todorovic (2013-45), Daniel Diez (2015-54)
