Blazers have made their first round pick and ducked below the tax. Certainly possible they do another move but its also very possible we stand pat until well after free agency or into training camp. What would your Blazers mpg look like with this roster? Guards/wings/bigs are; Sharpe Scoot Ant Banton Thybulle Avdija Grant Camera Walker Murray Rupert Ayton Clingan Timelord Duop
Two more (potential) picks today and 15 players on the roster already. Banton's is the most easily dismissed, but I can't imagine this doesn't look different come training came and then a couple more changes at the Trade Deadline.
Mine would be as follows to start the season; Ant 34 Scoot 14 Sharpe 32 Scoot 16 Avdija 30 Camera 12 Thybulle 6 Grant 34 Timelord 6 Camera 8 Ayton 34 Timelord 14 Timelord is trade bait by December or at the latest the deadline, while Clingan gets those minutes later in the season.
Who did I miss for 16th? Today's picks could be moved for future 2nd (we have almost none) or put on 2 ways. Or Banton/Walker could be cut in October if need be. Maybe old man Murray even has his 3rd year option declined and has to make the cut in camp as well. We certainly don't need any moves now for an October roster limit deadline. Really none of these end of the bench players matter for the opening game rotation I listed (9 players) which is the question posed in this thread.
Best guess as starters 1. Ant ( I would prefer Scoot with Ant first of bench) 2. Sharpe 3. Avdija 4. Grant 5. Ayton Obvious but we really need Sharpe and Scoot to make huge improvements and stay healthy.
Just a mis-type. Yes, they can put the remaining players on 2-ways or G-League them. It's more a matter of vets taking minutes from younger players.
Perhaps we trade Grant for example to the Mavs for nonrotation players and picks in that case my rotation would be as follows; Ant 35 Scoot 13 Sharpe 28 Scoot 15 Thybulle 5 Camera 26 Sharpe 6 Thybulle 16 Avdija 30 Rupert 12 Timelord 6 Ayton 34 Timelord 14 Thybulle and Timelord are both trade bait.
I just can't imagine Clingan playing scrub minutes even at the beginning of the season. Either they are going to play a lot of two big alignment (which, theoretically, they could) or one or two of our 5s won't be with the Blazers when they break camp, but they aren't sitting Clingan completely.
Absent any other moves, my target would be something like this: Sharpe - 32 Scoot - 30 Ant - 30 Banton Thybulle - 18 Avdija - 32 Grant - 32 Camera - 18 Walker Murray Rupert Ayton - 32 Clingan - 16 Timelord Duop ...with everyone else on the list simply getting spot/depth minutes. Yes, that would mean Scoot/Ant would share the floor for 12 mpg, but I think that with our current roster configuration, we have to expect that. The real question for me is--does the FO believe that that top 9, if healthy, can develop into a contender as currently constructed. Certainly not this season, but within 2 more years. Or to put it another way--what attribute/skillset needs to be added to that primary rotation to have a chance to elevate to contender status?
Gosh I hope the Blazers aren't that delusional, but I'm totally unsure. There isn't one player on this roster that is a top3 player of a contender. Would be great if Sharpe or Scoot could become that eventually but they are both a long ways off.
Good questions. Makes me wonder what is the best 5 man group? Ant Sharpe Avdija Grant Ayton is what I'd go with. Long term I hope Scoot becomes a key part of that top5 group but right now he belongs on the bench if we are trying our hardest to win.
Again, as has been mentioned before, Ayton has already been a top-3 player on a contender, so it seems disingenuous to say that we have none. And yes, clearly Scoot and Sharpe are not at that level, but is it inconceivable that they can develop to that level before the end of the 26/27 season (Scoot's 4th year, and Sharpe's 5th)? I think what they show us this year can give us much better insight as to what to project for them by that point.
This exercise is way too soon, but fun nonetheless Scoot -Ant-(Banton) Sharpe-Ant-(Rupert) Avdija-Camara-(Thybulle) Grant -Walker- (Reath) Ayton-Williams-Clingan But who knows what happens with Grant, Williams, and Thybulle? Does Joe want to be in the lottery next year or not? If not then he might keep Grant until he gets a favorable trade. if he does want to be in the lottery, then Grant will be gone to whoever offers the most cap space and a pick or two.
