2018 NBA Mock Draft: Promises, promises

Let Melton himself tell you why he’ll be great, for the Blazers, and as a professional more broadly: “Some things I do you can’t jot down. I’m a very instinctive and high-I.Q. player that some people may not have. I think that I help every team out and I can be that glue guy for any team.”

I am always tickled by players who understand their own game so fully, know what will make them successful professionals, and have the work ethic to pull it off. Melton was a victim of the FBI’s investigation into fraud in college basketball this season, never stepping foot onto the court for USC and ultimately stepping away from the team to focus on draft preparation. He’s been re-tooling his shot and hosting teams and media at his workouts during the offseason, and emerges a perfect modern all-around guard.

It may be Marcus Smart who deserves credit for ushering in this type of player into the league, a crucial piece that can be used to combat modern offenses. When facing teams with multiple ball-handlers on the court at once in a spaced-out system, a big guard like Smart or Melton can be incredibly valuable. If Melton can defend bigger players like Smart can, one has to assume he will have a successful pro career.

On offense, Melton would give the Blazers the third guard they’ve never had during the Damian Lillard-CJ McCollum era. He could play with either of them as a defensive salve, and help Portland become more versatile, a years-long process still not complete.