My way too early 2025-26 Blazers Rotation

ALL starting spots should be earned.
IMO, neither Scoot nor Sharpe has done enough to earn the right to start.

Having said that, IMO - Grant lost his right to start. The four best players are clearly Deni, Camara, Clingan, & Holiday. It should be an open competition for that 5th starter (Scoot, Sharpe, or Grant).

 

Yeah I'd prefer Grant came off the bench - also better allows our Jrue/Scoot/Sharpe trio to stagger the two guard spots and Deni/Camara/Grant to stagger the two forward spots.

I don't believe Billups, Grant, or the Blazers will want him to come off the bench though.

 

If it were up to me whoever was playing the best out of any of our players would start. If that means Jrue and Grant are benched or our youth is benched that should be how it goes. If Scoot is playing great he should start, etc.

That isn't how most NBA teams do it and especially in the Cronin/Billups era here. Vets have been handed starting spots regardless of performance. So I expect that's what we'll see.

 

I look forward to your posts and opinions. Being around the guys gives you an insight that 99% of fans don't get to experience, even once in their lives.
But, I just can't understand your support for DA. You agreed with me that you liked Pryz. I think DA is the anti-Pryz. He just seems aloof on the court and you cantwin with a center like that.
The game goes through cycles. Right now, with the exception of a few star centers, you need a center that can defend the paint, not kill the defense in switching situations, good rebounding and the cherry on top is if they can shoot the 3 at a respectable rate. DA does almost none of that, except spread the floor a bit.
Maybe you have a soft spot because of what you've seen beyond the game, but for my money I want a DC type center over DA...and quite a few others agree.

 

Here is how I break it down:

Tier 1 - has to start
Toumani - I want him on the other team's best player from the jump.
Deni - he is our best player right now.
Clingan - clear starter on the roster.

To me those three are locked in.

Tier 2 - Could be a starter
Sharpe - probably our most explosive starter when he's actually dialed in.
Scoot - our best distributor. Can also spread the floor.
Jrue - lockdown defender
Grant - three point shooter and decent defender.

I think you could plug and play and of these four in the starting lineup.

Tier 3 - the rest of them
Thybulle - someone who can create chaos on defense. Sometimes can spread the floor.
Murray - decent defender. Inconsistent scorer.
Yang - mystery box

I think I'd start with this lineup:

Jrue
Shae
Tou
Deni
Clingan

Sub in:
Scoot - if Shae is playing checked out - he will sub out Shae. If he's locked in, he sits down Jrue.
Grant - he can go for either forward.
Yang - Just to give Clingan a breather.

The wrinkle is when Dame comes back. I don't know what the fuck we're gonna do.

 

Absolutely agree. I have
Scoot - Jrue
Sharpe - Thybulle
Tou - Murray
Deni - Grant
Clingan - Williams - Yang

In the past, they've been careful with the minutes of Williams and Clingan. This year, I think they'll limit the minutes of Jrue, Williams, Clingan, and Yang. They won't play Williams on back2backs, and they may do the same to Jrue. If they do, you might add Rupes to the mix. They could shorten the lineup by removing Murray, but I think they really want to give him minutes, as imho, this year is his last chance.

 

it doesn't matter how many times you repeat that assertion, it hasn't been true once in my view

 

Congratulations. I think I gave up worrying about convincing you of anything many years ago.

 

Rough sketch of it...

Tisse, Yang and Murray will get their opportunities during Jrue and Rob Will load management / injuries / b2b rest days. And obviously more so if Grant is moved.

Scoot (30)/ Jrue (18)
Jrue (12) / Shae* (31)/ Tisse (5)
Camara (32) / Deni (12) / Tisse (4)
Deni (20) / Grant (28)
Clingan (26) / Williams (16) / Yang (6)

 

This is all based on what I think will happen, not what Id do as coach:

Agree on Deni Camara, they both start and are clearly our two best players. Can't remember when that last was two forwards for the Blazers.

Clingan I think starts over Yang regardless of how they play - don't want to rush Yang into anything. Timelord might play the best per minute but won't play B2B and should be a backup, with us just super happy if he can string together a healthy stretch.

Jrue starts over Scoot regardless, unless he's hurt or such.

So it all comes down to that last starting spot with Grant vs Sharpe. Perhaps Scoot can get in the mix if he plays exceptional but it's going to be harder for him as I think the team would prefer one of him/Jrue off the bench with more height at SG.

I expect Grant to be the 5th starter. But really I see the main competition being Grant vs Sharpe.

 

You don't even know how Shaedon's name is spelled. SMH

 

Yeah, I just don't know. If this is the roster which it likely will be then Scoot and Shaedon will have to have made huge jumps forward to outperform Jrue and a pretty big jump forward to outperform Jerami both of who are coming off of down seasons and probably feel they have something to prove.

I wouldn't put it past Scoot or Shae to make that big leap forward in play, I wouldn't put it past either of those two vets to fend them off to keep their starting position and at the same time I wouldn't put it past Father Time to hold those two vets back. We'll have to wait and see.

I'm not going to like it but I think it's more probable that Scoot and Shaedon will start the season coming off of the bench than either of them starting.

 

Should be 280 mpg if we're projecting the season mpg - that was what the main Blazers rotation had last year. Few players play close to 82 games.

If I had my choice;

Scoot 32 Jrue 30
Sharpe 28 Grant 28
Camara 32 Thybulle 18 Rupert 14
Deni 32 Timelord 20
Clingan 26 Yang 20

 

Updated!



All 15 roster spots filled tells me we have a consolidation/upgrade trade coming soon!

 

I was just going off the 240 minutes available in a game, obviously rest and injuries are going to affect season long mpg.

 

Funny as I thought the exact opposite - to me it means the opening day roster is now set. Blazers staff now can enjoy vacation until media day.

 

People normally post a 240min player breakdown but I think this is super misleading as it makes it appear that we have a massive minutes crunch - which outside a couple weeks to start the season doesn't end up being the case for the vast majority of the year.

Dame Jrue Scoot Sharpe have missed an average of 81 games per year between them. So having all 4 effectively averages into a 3 man rotation.

 

no need for condescension...

by the way, the pace was higher 40 years ago than it was last season.

median pace: 1984-85 - 102.0....2024-25 - 98.9
highest pace: 1984-85 - 107.6....2024-25 - 103.3
lowest pace: 1984-85 - 98.8....2024-25 - 95.7

the average pace in 1977 when the Blazers won the championship was 107.2. The highest pace was 111.8; lowest was 100.0. The Blazers were at 108.0.

Pace dropped way down in the 90's as defenses maxed out contact, hand checking, and hard fouls on defense. But if you think the Bad Boys Pistons, or the Jordan/Pippen/Rodman Bulls, or Pat Riley's Knicks, or Drexler's Blazers didn't play with major intensity didn't watch

but sure....keep on believing that earlier eras just had players loafing all over the floor

 

Just go watch old games and focus on guys defending away from the ball compared to today games. Totally different intensity.

Pace doesn't make a game more intense.

Look at the miles ran by the Pacers players in the playoffs. Look at how exhausted great defenders were on OKC and Indy of those finals with 2 days of rest.

80s/90s NBA was not close to as physically demanding as the game today. Hell good players like Vlade were smoking cigarettes back then.

 

Now I do think there was more bruising and bully ball back then. But today's teams with deadly 3pt shooting and far more athletic defenders would smoke those prior era with either set of rules.