Best Draft Pick In Portland Trail Blazers History

The Portland Trail Blazers have been part of the NBA since 1970 and, in that time, have produced three of the most celebrated draft picks in league history, each representing a different era of the franchise and each making a valid case for the Trail Blazers' best draft pick of all time.

Bill Walton, selected first overall in the 1974 NBA Draft out of UCLA, where he had led the Bruins to two national championships and won three consecutive College Player of the Year awards, arrived as the most highly sought-after big man since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 

Injuries plagued his first two seasons, but in 1976-77 everything came together as Walton led the Blazers to a 4-2 series victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, winning the franchise's only championship. He averaged 18.5 points, 19 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 3.7 blocks in the Finals and won MVP. The following season, he won the NBA MVP award before a broken foot ended his Portland career prematurely. 

Damian Lillard, selected sixth overall in the 2012 NBA Draft out of Weber State, spent eleven seasons in Portland and became one of the most loyal, clutch, and prolific players in franchise history. The franchise's all-time leading scorer, Lillard, made seven All-Star appearances and seven All-NBA selections, averaged 25.2 points per game over 769 games in a Blazers uniform, and hit numerous iconic game-winning shots. 

Despite Walton and Lillard’s achievements, Clyde Drexler takes the honors as the best draft pick in franchise history. 

Growing up in Houston, Texas, Drexler earned college interest from several Division I schools after a solid high school career with the Ross Sterling Raiders. Accepting a scholarship to the University of Houston, Drexler joined Akeem (Hakeem) Olajuwon, Larry Micheaux, and Michael Young as part of “Phi Slamma Jama”. Making back-to-back NCAA Championship game appearances, the Cougars would fall short in both attempts. Averaging 15.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 3.3 steals, Drexler earned All-American status in his third and final year on campus before declaring for the 1983 NBA Draft. 

While Ralph Sampson was the clear favorite for the number one pick, one has to wonder what the teams holding the next twelve selections saw, or missed, during their scouting. From the second pick through the thirteenth, a dozen opportunities to draft a Hall of Famer passed before the Trail Blazers finally called Drexler’s name at fourteen. 

A constant presence in the Western Conference playoff bracket, Drexler joined a team that had finished 46-36 and ended their season with a second-round playoff loss to the LA Lakers. Coming off the bench behind Jim Paxson for all but three of his 82 rookie season games, Drexler averaged just 7.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in 17 minutes. Little would change in the postseason as Drexler’s numbers were similar to the regular season, as the Blazers were knocked out in the first round. Maybe the scouts were right, or maybe he just needed some time to get started. 

Fortunes started to change for both Drexler and the Blazers in his second season, as his stat line improved across the board, more than doubling his production as Portland went another round deeper in the playoffs. 

While Drexler would become a fixture on the Western Conference All-Star team, the Blazers would be bounced out of the playoffs in the first round for the next four years. Everything would come together in 1990, as the Blazers advanced to the NBA Finals twice in three years, but ultimately lost to the Detroit Pistons and in a highly anticipated matchup against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. 

An incredibly athletic 6’7” wing who could score, rebound, defend, and facilitate at an elite level. Drexler averaged 20.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.1 steals per game during his twelve seasons in Portland. A member of eight All-Star teams and four All-NBA Teams (he made a fifth during the 94-95 season, which was split between Portland and Houston), Drexler had his best NBA season during the 1991-92 campaign when he finished second in MVP voting and was named to the USA Dream Team. 

Portland’s run to the top of the Western Conference was short-lived as they would once again find themselves bounced in the first round in the next two playoff seasons. Looking to play for a title contender, the Blazers honored Drexler’s trade request, moving him to Houston midway through the 1994-95 season, where he would ultimately win an NBA title playing alongside his college teammate Olajuwon. 

With his number 22 jersey hanging in the rafters of the Moda Center, a spot in the Hall of Fame and a member of both the NBA 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams to go along with all of his other accolades and records as a member of the Trail Blazers, Drexler’s longevity and success with the team provide merit for his selection as the best draft pick in franchise history.