📍TUALATIN, Ore. — The Trail Blazers‘ pre-draft workouts are finally starting to heat up.
Since their season wrapped in April, Portland has hosted four pre-draft sessions. The first two, held before the draft lottery, mainly featured players who were still deciding whether to stay in the draft or return to college. Tuesday’s group included mostly prospects projected to go undrafted or land in the second round.
But Thursday’s workout marked a shift, as six players participated — all with first-round potential, and some even considered possible lottery picks. Portland currently owns the No. 11 overall selection.
Among those who visited the team’s Tualatin facility were Georgia forward Asa Newell, Michigan State guard Jase Richardson, Chinese center Hansen Yang, and wings Rasheer Fleming (St. Joseph’s), Liam McNeeley (UConn), and Will Riley (Illinois).
“It’s not really stressful, just really exciting,” said Newell. “You’re around guys you’ve never met before, and you’re chasing your dream. There’s so much energy in that. It’s fun — you can’t let yourself get too stressed.”
