After Scoot Henderson and Kris Murray, Rayan Rupert is therefore the third player selected by the Blazers during the 2023 Draft. The Frenchman, yet in the “Green Room”, waited until the middle of the second round to hear his name, but it is made.
” It’s incredible. I am really happy “he reacted at the microphone of BeIN Sport. “I was with my loved ones and it’s a lot of emotions. I had prepared to be at the end of the first round or the beginning of the second. This is the start of my dream. »
We could however expect him a little higher in this Draft, after his tests with Indiana, Utah and Atlanta, but it was finally Portland who bet on the former New Zealand Breakers, in the NBL.
” It’s crazy. I did a workout with them the last few weeks which went well. I had been able to see the franchise and the city. I really liked it there. Falling to the Blazers is really incredible. »
Especially when asked about the future of Damian Lillard and the arrival of Scoot Henderson, the GM of the franchise, Joe Cronin, nevertheless quickly commented on the arrival of Rayan Rupert in the Blazers.
“He had a good season in New Zealand. He has great potential”, believes the leader. “He has a lot of scope, he wants to defend and he’s a hard worker. »
