Welcome to the first installment of 'Blazers in a GIF', where the goal is to take a quick look at a couple of plays which you may not see in the highlights, or things that don't show up in the box score. Not a game goes by where a play that deserves attention somehow ends up lost in the fray. Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that already in this early season Dame, CJ, Aminu, Plumlee, Crabbe, and Davis have all found their way into the scoring column in the last :24 seconds of a quarter. Yes it is quite easy to forget the screen when all you can think about is Damian Lillard canning a 3 in Chef-Boyar-Hardens face. After re-watching the Grizzlies game I can't help but breath a sigh of relief to see how Stott's has managed the playing time for all of these guys, giving them each their fair shot in the early season. It's easy to overlook the significance of showing this level of confidence to a young group of guys. I admittedly entered the season skeptical that Terry would allow these guys to blossom. It's early in the season, but it seems like he has already found out when to give these guys minutes, and how to allow them to be most effective. Blazer fan or not, if you break down what is going on right now, and see it continue over the course of a season then I don't see any other argument for Coach of the Year outside of Steve Kerr leading the Warriors to a season fit for the record books. Then again Jeff Hornacek had a similar season with the Suns during which he missed out on the Coach of the Year award. Vonleh may not have had restraints against the Grizz, but he did have a challenge in guarding still tricky Zach Randolph. Tonight as has been the case most nights with Vonleh, he shows you potential to be great while also reminding you that he is still 20 years old and trying to find his way in the league. Vonleh is already a good defender at this point in his career, getting the block on ZBO before recovering the loose ball and attempting to push the ball in transition. You have to love the active defense he plays on ZBO, using his solid footwork and commitment to keeping his hands straight up. If Vonleh and the coaching staff think this is something that could be part of Vonleh's game then I believe you are wise to let him try and grow it. Look for him to better understand his strengths and weaknesses as he continues to acclimate into the NBA and polish his game. Again some solid defense by Vonleh as he guards JaMychal Green. Strength seems to be an area Vonleh will look to improve as he continues the beginning of his NBA career. Fortunately right now what Vonleh lacks in strength he makes up for with his long arms, and impressive footwork as he moves to avoid body contact and adjusts to block the shot.
Glad you guys enjoy, I hope to do one of these every few games over the course of the season. I have some games backlogged which should be pretty easy to get content together for.
