The Portland Trail Blazers selected Montenegrin center Marko Todorovic with the No. 45 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.
NBA Draft 2013: Portland Trail Blazers select Marko Todorovic with 45th pick
Todorovic will need time overseas to develop, but he could be a solid option off the bench for Portland if he’s able to continue developing physically.
Todorovic somewhat surprisingly kept his name in the draft despite having surgery on his finger after his season recently ended in Spain. That led to him not traveling to the USA for workouts, physicals or interviews with any teams interested in the 21-year-old center, according to Draft Express, but that was apparently the plan all along.
Todorovic averaged just seven minutes for a very good FC Barcelona team this season and that, coupled with the fact that he won't be a free agent until 2015, makes him an unlikely NBA candidate anytime soon. That's apparently how he and his agent planned it, though, as being selected outside of the first round gives him a better chance at negotiating a better contract down the road if he continues to progress.
The Trail Blazers made this selection knowing Todorovic won’t be a real contributor for years. Portland has found success with overseas guys in recent years, and they’ll hope to strike gold yet again late in the second round. For a team that’s in the process of rebuilding, that’s OK.
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