Since the Portland Trail Blazers moved up in the 2017 NBA Draft to select Zach Collins, a relatively-untried forward out of Gonzaga, pundits have been on the fence about his utility and the wisdom of the move. Adam Fromal of Bleacher Report dropped off that fence this New Year’s. As part of a list naming the biggest regret of 2017 for all 30 NBA teams, he cited Collins as Portland’s reason for remorse.
The Portland Trail Blazers can be excused for consolidating multiple first-round draft picks into a single selection, since they already had a nearly complete roster and were sure to have trouble clearing up spots for unpolished rookies.