NBA Draft 2013: Portland Trailblazers Select C.J. McCollum

November 13, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Lehigh Mountain Hawks guard C.J. McCollum (3) brings the ball up court against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. The Pittsburgh Panthers won 78-53. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Things were looking down for the Portland Trailblazers going into the draft considering most of the big names such as Trey Burke long gone, but the team managed to find some solid value at No. 10 overall with Lehigh’s star C.J. McCollum.

The Trailblazers had plenty of issues coming into the draft. There are rumblings star forward LaMarcus Aldridge wants out of town because he is not happy, meaning the bulk of the work is left to Nicolas Batum and Wes Matthews.

Until now.

McCollum comes in and gives the team some direction at point guard. Offensively and defensively McCollum is an upgrade at this point.

Here’s NBA.com’s thoughts on McCollum:

"McCollum was in the middle of perhaps his best season of his great career when he broke his foot against VCU on Jan. 5. He didn’t play again, but his stats proved that he was well on his way to accomplishing his preseason goal of shooting 50 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3-point range and 90 percent from the free-throw line. And he was also able to show in just 12 games that he was capable of moving to the point and playing effectively."

It’s a bit of a head-scratching pick for the Trailblazers at this point with Damian Lillard still around. It just keeps the trent rolling that this is the most unpredictable draft in recent memory.

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