I'm one of the biggest Nards haters on this forum. Have been for a long time. Credit where it's due tho. He's turned himself into a NBA role player. Year and a half now I've thought this. He makes mistakes, has weaknesses but that's why he's not a starter. Meyers Leonard.
Had an argument with one of my friends before the game. Made the point he was wayyyy better than ET (and i dislike Meyers in general)
I'll give this post a gigantic +1. I could probably count the times I've said positive things about Meyers on one hand. I haven't been watching much Blazer basketball the last two years and I have to say he's like a completely different player than I remember. I didn't have faith that he'd learn how to contribute in this way, but I'm glad he's proved me wrong.
He knows his role and he plays it well ... at times. Just like Dame isn't always great. Ain't nothing better than a player responding whenever needed. Glad we have him on our team.
maybe the game will slow down for him a bit in the playoffs. we could really use the help. and yes that was a clean fucking block nice play.
He's the latest of late bloomers. But he's really come on strong. It's easy to forget he got that contract based on a very good showing against Marc Gasol in the playoffs. You put him in a game against a strong, immobile center and he's actually pretty good. So Adams is a perfect fit. You give him lots of time to understand what his role will be for the game like we can in the playoffs, and it also helps. Adams is an absolute perfect matchup for him. He can go pound-for-pound with him on defense, and he can pull Adams away from the rim on offense. The real eye opener for me was the 2 or 3 times he got matched up on the perimeter and really did a great job of preventing the guard from taking a 3. Really moved his feet well. Nurkic must be teaching him how to move his feet or something. It's taken a lot of time and money to get him to this point, but now that he's there I'm really happy for him.
I loved watching him sit down in a chair and slide his feet. He's done it a couple times this year and every time I love it. One of the things our coaching staff is excellent at is player development. With that said I don't want to see it very often. And he still makes silly fouls. But the guy is a legit role player and deserves respect. When Stotts puts him in a position to succeed. More often than not Portland is rewarded. It's when Stotts throws him cold to go check a rolling Paul Millsap is when I lose my mind.
He stayed in front of Westbrook and when Russ finally got into the baseline Mo came on and did a little help defense. Believe me the crowd went wild on that play.
I think a under apprecidated part of his game is his screens. In game 1 Kanter's screens were not getting Dame opened. Meyers was laying the wood on screens and the guys guarding Dame were actually getting picked off.
Meyers will be a TrailBlazer forever. He's our Hank Finkel. Someday he will be an ambassador for the team he loves. Good for him.
The coolest play from Meyers last night was during the first half. George pushed Harkless to the floor and had an open 3 and Meyers sprinted from the paint to take away the shot. George then tried penetrating on Meyers who moved his feet well and forced him into Aminu's defense and the Thunder couldn't score. Meyers Leonard taking away a PG 3 and drive. Who would have thought?
I was as impressed by his defense on Schröder out on the wing, not getting crossed up, not giving him space, and forcing him baseline--again into Aminu's help D. Meyers was fantastic on the perimeter last night. Mind-blowing.
Purely in a vacuum, Meyers' performance last night, and frankly, over the past year, has been awesome and he deserves every bit of accolades for "figuring it out". That said, I'm even more proud and impressed of him for the mental side of things... This kid has been the fanbase's whipping boy since the day he was drafted (signing a bloated contract certainly didn't help things), but through it all, he's found a way to stay mentally focused, while continuing to develop his game. Which says a ton about who he is as a person, and the type of culture we have in our locker room. It would've been so easy for Meyers to check out, cash his checks, and just go through the motions, but you can tell he loves playing with his teammates and loves what he does. Super, super happy for him, and I hope -- after his contract expires next year -- that we can find a way to keep him at a more reasonable number (after using our cap space to improve the roster, that is)...