BALTIMORE --

is a perfectionist.

It's why he threw fits in middle school when he got anything less than a 100 percent on an assignment. It's why he built a reputation as a gym rat at all three of his high schools. And it's why he cried after his Memphis team lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in March.

So when

to the

in the NBA draft, he couldn't help but feel dissatisfied. After all, he hadn't even worked out for Portland. He'd been hearing he could go as high as No. 17 to the Dallas Mavericks, that there was no chance he would fall past the Miami Heat at No. 30.

"I was just trying to figure out why I didn't get my name called," Barton said this week. "I was definitely going to get my name called in the first round, so I was just kind of disappointed and puzzled."

But while Barton sat at his mother's Baltimore home and wondered why he'd slipped to the second round, Blazers executives in Tualatin were ecstatic. They felt they could have just landed a draft-night steal -- a skilled, rangy swingman with the potential to develop into a quality rotation player.

"Will we felt like wasn't necessarily a guy with one defined skill," Blazers director of college scouting Chad Buchanan said. "Very young still, two years of college, but he does a lot of things -- great rebounder from the wing position, can get to the basket a little bit."

Last season, Barton outranked every top-rated wing prospect in all the major statistical categories. He averaged 18.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 50.9 percent from the field en route to Conference USA player of the year honors.

Still, he has plenty of doubters. At 6-foot-6 and a rail-thin 175 pounds, scouts question his ability to finish at the rim in the NBA. They figure he'll struggle to take contact, that his body type won't allow him to add weight comfortably.

And without a consistent jump shot to help ease some of those concerns, a number of pundits feel Barton simply isn't an NBA-quality player.

"He's a nice player, but he's just not the perfect mold," said Aran Smith, founder and president of

. "I mean, he's not a great shooter and he's just so skinny."

Of course, skepticism is nothing new to Barton. Ever since coming off the bench for his AAU team in middle school, coaches have questioned his strength. They said he couldn't hold his own against top competition, that his skills wouldn't translate to the next level.

Yet Barton has won at every level he's played. He led Lake Clifton High School to a perfect 28-0 record and the 2009 Maryland 3A state title. In his lone year at Brewster Academy, a prep school in New Hampshire, he won a National Prep Championship. And last season, as a sophomore, Barton carried an injury-depleted Memphis squad to the program's eighth NCAA Tournament appearance in 10 years.

So although Barton concedes he'll probably need to gain a few pounds before training camp in September, he doesn't view his slight frame as much of a concern. He said he plans to earn a roster spot the way he always has: by outworking the competition.

And according to those close to the former Jordan Brand All-American, that's exactly what he will do.

"Will is a warrior," said former Blazers point guard Damon Stoudamire, an assistant coach at Memphis. "He doesn't back down from anyone, he plays hard every game and he's going to find a way. When I look in the kid's eyes, that's the only thing he knows. He's got to find a way."

Given the current state of the Portland bench, Barton should have a decent shot at making the team's rotation. He figures to battle Luke Babbitt and perhaps Victor Claver for time at small forward, and he could be in the mix with Elliot Williams for minutes at backup shooting guard.

"There's a spot for a wing on this team," said Mike Barrett, Portland's play-by-play announcer. "I think certainly at the wing position, the Blazers could use a slasher-type guy who's a good defender, good rebounder. And I think that's the way they see (Barton)."

Barton plans to arrive in Portland today to get settled before NBA Summer League practices begin Wednesday. He's set to be introduced along with lottery picks Damian Lillard and Meyers Leonard at a news conference on Monday.

And although he said he's grateful to the Blazers for giving him an opportunity to realize a lifelong dream, he hasn't forgotten how he felt on draft night.

"I use it as motivation," Barton said. "I feel like I'm a lottery, first-round talent, so I've just got to go in there and just show everybody that I fit in."

-- Connor Letourneau, special to The Oregonian