2019 NBA Mock Draft: Tankers beware

It was a real surprise when Tillie opted to return to Gonzaga, and it may have indicated a bias against Gonzaga that continues even after Zach Collins’ solid rookie season for this same franchise.

Tillie is everything you’d want from a modern, floor-spacing big. He’s a career 48 percent 3-point shooter in one of the most high-powered offenses in the country, and capped off his season with massive performances against BYU and Ohio State in March. He rebounds relatively well compared with the majority of stretch big men, and has solid feel as a passer and mid-range scorer. You won’t find many 3-point shooters with as much touch on floaters and layups as Tillie.

After taking a massive project in Anfernee Simons Thursday night, the Trail Blazers still have a need for shooting. There’s no concern with taking a talented player like Simons, but it leaves a wide open hole for the team to address in terms of spacing the floor.

This roster could look drastically different by next year, but at least one of Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum will be leading this offense by that point. A great scoring guard needs as much space as possible, and this roster is not doing enough to provide that spacing as it is currently constructed.

Tillie would change that.