With the 15th overall pick in the mock draft, the Portland Trail Blazers will be selecting UCLA forward T.J. Leaf. As one of the members of the talented freshman recruiting class, Leaf decided to leave school after just one season.
Leaf was a great player right away at UCLA, as he averaged 29.6 minutes per game, 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game. As one of the best freshman in the country, it should come as no surprise that Leaf decided to leave school early.
As a scorer, Leaf was one of the most efficient players in the country last season, as he shot 61.7% from the field. In addition to being solid around the basket, Leaf also shot 46.6% from three-point range. While he didn’t shoot them often, Leaf did show an ability to hit that shot.
For the Trail Blazers, Leaf is a very good fit. With a great backcourt in Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, the Trail Blazers need to focus on building their front court. The addition of Jusuf Nurkic certainly helped last season. Now, Leaf will fit nicely next to him in the front court.
After being eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in the first round, the Trailblazers will be adding a talented player in Leaf with the 15th pick.