Some have argued his shooting will improve with cleaner looks resulting from Dame, CJ, and even Whiteside opening up the floor for him. I sure hope so. I'd like to see him in the 36-38 percent range.
ON PAPER Out Kanter Leonard Aminu Harkless Turner Layman Curry In Whiteside Tolliver Herzonjia Little Bazemore Dahm (fingers crossed) Starters... healthy Nurk = Nurk Aminu <? Zach Harkless < Bazemore CJ = CJ Dame = Dame So maybe better Bench Kanter = Whiteside Zach > Tolliver ET = Hezonja Hood = Hood Curry > Simons Slight edge last year So on paper... about the same
Struggles getting the team into its sets, struggles making the correct reads, turnovers, good at setting up team mates (getting them the ball in the right spots), knowing when to look for his own offense, etc. I mean there is A LOT to being a good PG, I don't expect perfection or anything but it sounds like Simons has played the two most of his life, so it could be a hard transition, it could be easy, I don't know.
Not making me hold my breath every time he touches the ball for starters. Probably Aminu light on defense -- I think there's a big learning curve there. But he won't be lacking for effort. On offense I expect he will be more under control, better ball handler, better at getting his own shot, and more of a cutter and slasher. If he picks up the offense quickly, he should surpass Aminu on the offensive side by mid season. That is, if he even plays. Which he probably won't. Se you next season, Nas.
They're about the same (hopefully). Nurkic out, Whiteside in. I think people will be disappointed when it's found that "fit" is just a buzzword for a different bunch of underwhelming role players. You can tell pretty quickly when you see them play. Of course there are different levels of PGs in the league. What I would look for is ball handling first of all. If you can move the ball upcourt easily with a defender on you, you've got the minimum. That means not turning the ball over while you're not passing. Damian Lillard led the team in turnovers last season, but he also led the team in assists, so you have to look at assist to turnover ratio. Lillard's was 2.5. Evan Turner (2nd in assists) was 2.4 Rookie Trae Young was 2.1, and Luka Doncic was 1.76 . Then of course there's defense. That could be his biggest challenge.
I agree about the starters. I kind of like the "combinations" of this new bench better though. Just too early to know for sure. But I like having 4 potentially pretty good 3 pt shooters on the court with Whiteside. Plus there is the unknown Skal question mark. But since we are guessing, I like this bench better.....as of now
I think Harkless and Aminu defense is being massively underrated. They were huge in covering for Dame and CJ the last few years. They could guard smaller wings or bruising power players. Their offense was a mess and I love the changes we have made. It was time to search for improvements. Now so many are focusing on their deficiencies being removed there is not enough appreciation for their strengths. We could have huge problems on defense at the start of next season. I'm not sure Blazers fans, management, or players: will have the patience needed to work through that development.
This won't be a fair comparison until they've built some chemistry but talent wise...considering our cap situation we are better than we COULD have been if we'd kept a couple guys we did trade....we got faster for sure...we improved our role players shooting from deep...at the sacrifice of some perimeter defense. I am more excited going into this preseason than I was last season ….some of that hinges on just how good Simons is with some burn...Little as well...Bazemore will be an upgrade as far as his ability to play a two way game. Whiteside is going to give us Ed Davis type offensive rebounds and put back a ton of missed 3s as well as shot blocking and scoring in the paint..Skal, Trent, Nassir, Herzonjia ...I'm hoping will all contribute on some level. Tolliver is a solid mentor and will get you a 3pter
Nah! The Blazer traded away the best player they had on the court in the last playoff. The coach never understood the game well enough to use the man. You can't get better trading the player. Trading the coach is the only way.
Gut instinct is upgrade in the majority of minutes, with some gaps in the bench minutes. End of first to mid second quarter is going to be ulcer city again. A lot of it is dependent on Ant being what is expected and Collins being ready for big minutes. Ultimately, this is a chance to see if our future pieces can deliver long run or not. Since most of the moves weren't strictly need for need, have to think about it as the entire squad, and how everyone fits in. Core: There will probably be some improvement here as both CJ and Dame add to their game, and I don't expect either will have lost a step just yet. As they age, injuries/load management does become a bigger concern. Lillard, Damian (PG) --------------------> Same McCollum, CJ (SG) -----------------------> Same Nurkić, Jusuf (Injured Center) ----------> Same Starter Roleplayers: Somewhat a mixed bag, but the positives far outweigh the negatives. Aminu, Al-Farouq (PF) -------------------> Collins: Net neutral on D, new strengths, new weaknesses. We'll see how schemes adjust. Don't expect as many 3s. Better to learn now if he can step up at PF, or if further changes are needed. Want to see how his post game develops. Harkless, Maurice (SF)-------------------> Hood or Bazemore: Bazemore feels like a nominal upgrade on offense, and a question mark on D. Hood higher ceiling, but is going to take some time to get up to speed, likely more consistent Kanter, Enes (Backup Offensive Center) --> Whiteside: Huge upgrade, though less likable, and character is the big concern. Key Bench: Where things get ugly and uncertain. Turner, Evan (Backup Point Forward) -----> Mario: Defensive downgrade, probably offensive as well, but could click and fit in to offense more naturally Curry, Seth (Backup PG) -----------------> Anfernee: Who knows if he is ready for the big stage, but the man has shown he is not shy about ceising opportunity. Hood, Rodney (Backup SG/SF) -------------> Same or Bazemore: This will be pretty similar, Bench: Again, feels like a mixed bag, but at least it is no longer a group that you're left thinking more of promise, than performance on the floor. Layman, Jake (Bench SF, streaky) --------> No real direct replacement here, but with the depth at SF, not many minutes. Hopefully they get another PF/C Leonard, Meyers (Bench PF) --------------> Toliver: He'll likely get more minutes, so should be more consistent. Don't expect any major hero games/stretches from him, but don't expect him to get lost. Collins, Zach (Bench PF/C) --------------> Skal: Also a pretty big wildcard, likely a step back, but will only be playing in the first half. Practice Squad Guys; Simons, Anfernee (DNP) ------------------> Nassir: Will be elated if he cracks the rotation, but don't see where. Labissière, Skal (DNP) ------------------> Hoard: Can't wait for summer league. Trent, Gary (DNP) -----------------------> Same? Suppose he could crack into the Layman minutes.
