NBA: Ranking every team based off draft success over the last 20 years

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CJ McCollum celebrates win over Denver Nuggets (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

T-5. Portland Trail Blazers: 48.5 points

2001: Zach Randolph: 6 (2x all-star, 1x 3rd team, 1.5x multiplier for pick outside of lottery)
2005: Jarrett Jack: 0.5
2006: Brandon Roy: 8 (3x all star, 1x 2nd team, 1x 3rd team)
2006: LaMarcus Aldridge: 19 (7x all-star, 2x 2nd team, 3x 3rd team)
2007: Greg Oden: -3 (bust with 1st overall pick)
2008: Nicolas Batum: 0.5
2012: Damian Lillard: 17 (5x all-star, 1x 1st team, 2x 2nd team, 1x 3rd team)
2013: C.J. McCollum: 0.5

The Blazers are top 10 in regular-season wins since 2000, they’ve been to two Western Conference Finals in that time, drafted 4 All-NBA players, and their draft legacy from that time period will still always be Greg Oden.

It really isn’t fair, the general consensus heading into the 2007 draft was that Greg Oden was the best player available. The center position was still highly valued in the NBA and, when healthy, he was a dominant two-way big at Ohio State.

The “when healthy” is the key point though. Oden played 61 games in the 2008-09 season but never played more than 23 games after that. And if it wasn’t for Kevin Durant being the 2nd pick that year, the Oden pick probably wouldn’t be remembered as poorly as it is now. But it’s impossible not to wonder – how good would a Durant/Roy/Aldridge combo have been in Portland?