TUALATIN, Ore.—The Portland Trail Blazers conducted their second pre-draft workout Thursday morning at their practice facility in Tualatin.
Current employees of the Blazers were in the gym, such as wings Allen Crabbe and Dorell Wright as well as center Meyers Leonard.
The players were there alongside Blazers brass and coaching staff as they watched six more players go through another job interview.
Of the six players who competed in Thursday’s workout, Louisiana State’s Jarell Martin has the best chances of being selected in the first round and getting a guaranteed contract.
Joining Martin were Brazilian point guard George De Paula, Charlotte guard Pierria Henry, Georgetown big man and Kent native Joshua Smith, Northern Iowa forward Seth Tuttle and Florida forward Chris Walker.
Martin’s been told from by his agent, Andy Miller, that he could go anywhere from 15-25 and the Blazers fall in the tail end of that range with the No. 23 pick.
“It’s very tough and challenging,” Martin said of the workout process. “Having the energy to workout and traveling to a whole other city and working out it’s tough.”
But Martin, who played two seasons at LSU before making the jump to the NBA, is embracing the tough process.
“We got to embrace it,” he said. “It only happens once. We have to live it out and fight through it.”
Martin said that the has 11 more workouts scheduled in the coming weeks before the NBA draft on June 25.
Martin has spoken with fellow LSU Tigers who have made the jump to the NBA like Milwaukee’s Johnny O’Bryant, Phoenix’s Marcus Thornton, Boston’s Brandon Bass and Glen Davis of the Clippers.
However, there’s one call that he hasn’t gotten that he really wants.
“I never talked to Shaq, I wish,” Martin said. “He can call me. I’d be very excited about that.”
De Paula was in Tualatin just months ago practicing with the World team during the 2015 Nike Hoop Summit.
A 6-5 guard with a 7-foot wingspan, De Paula said that he was looking to showcase his versatility.
When asked which Brazilian he was pulling for in the NBA Finals out of Golden State’s Leandro Barbosa and Cleveland’s Anderson Varejao, De Paula played it very politically.
Though he hoes have a connection to Barbosa from playing together on Pinheiros in Sao Paolo.
“I don’t have (a favorite),” De Paula said. “I like Leandrinho because I played with him when he was recovering from injury.”
