(From: The Athletic - Jason Quick) https://theathletic.com/1224903/201...d-whats-hassan-whitesides-future-in-portland/ Why Mario Hezonja might surprise and what’s Hassan Whiteside’s future in Portland? The activity at the Trail Blazers’ practice facility is starting to heat up, as summer mainstays Zach Collins and Gary Trent Jr. now have company. All of the Trail Blazers have flown into town and have started playing pickup games at the team’s facility in Tualatin, Ore., all in preparation for media day on Sept. 30 and the first day of practice on Oct. 1. With that in mind, it’s time to jump back into the season and what promises to be an intriguing, if not successful, campaign in the franchise’s 50th season. And what better way to start than to answer some of your questions before training camp starts with seven new players and three new starters. What’s the team’s expectation from (Mario) Hezonja for the upcoming season? Will he have a role considering they pursued him last summer as well? — Edin M. If I had to choose a player who will surprise the fanbase, and perhaps even become a fan favorite, it’s Hezonja, for two reasons: coach Terry Stotts, and Hezonja’s state-of-mind. Entering his eighth season in Portland, Coach Stotts has an impressive track record of getting the most out of players. Think about it — the following players have never had better seasons than with Stotts: LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum, Allen Crabbe, Mason Plumlee, Jusuf Nurkic, Al-Farouq Aminu, Maurice Harkless and JJ Hickson. Players flourish under Stotts in part because his system is rooted in trust and freedom, and in part because he and his staff put so much time into player development. In other words, when players come to Portland, they are trusted to play the right way — make the extra pass, take the right shot — and as a result, they play more freely, and have more fun. It helps, too, that this is a place where players stay long after practice and hone their skills, either with one-on-one coaching or in playful, group competitions. If you are not staying after practice to work on your game, you stick out. I think Hezonja is a perfect example of a player who can excel when allowed to play freely. Look at Hezonja’s final month in New York last season, when coach David Fizdale essentially put the ball in his hands and told him to just play: 18.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists. It’s a small, four-game sample size, but it also included games of 29 points, nine rebounds and five assists at Orlando, a triple-double at Houston (16 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists), and 30 points, six rebounds and five assists against Washington. Hezonja (6-foot-8, 225 pounds) says he grew up a point guard and envisions himself playing a similar point-forward role like Evan Turner did the past three seasons in Portland. I think he will start out as a jack-of-all-trades, playing mostly small forward, some power forward and some point-forward. His versatility will give him chances to get on the floor. Another thing going for Hezonja, 24, is his mindset. We learned last season with Rodney Hood how much culture and environment can impact and influence a player’s performance. Judging from one of Hezonja’s tweets earlier this week, he is happy and enjoying his experience in Portland so far. I also think he will benefit from being a teammate of countryman Jusuf Nurkic, whom he was literally neighbors with as a youth in Bosnia. Not surprisingly, the team put Hezonja’s locker next to Nurkic. Mario Hezonja ✔@mariohezonja Portland from 1 to 10 so far: Food 11, Weather 11, Life 11, Basketball 12. 5,648 7:38 PM - Sep 18, 2019 · Oregon, USA Twitter Ads info and privacy 599 people are talking about this But perhaps the best clue to answer your question came on July 3, when the Blazers issued a press release announcing Hezonja’s free-agent signing. In the release, president of basketball operations Neil Olshey said of Hezonja: “Mario is a prodigiously talented player with a high ceiling and bright future. He will have a chance to contribute immediately while we work to accelerate his development.” How do the Blazers replace the defensive flexibility of Moe (Harkless) and Chief (Al-Farouq Aminu)? — Stan W. A great question, and an underrated aspect of the Blazers’ success the past three seasons. Harkless and Aminu were a great tandem on the wing because they could switch on defense without either giving up an advantage. Their length cut down passing lanes and their athleticism helped counter some small-ball lineups. But a trade has sent Harkless to Los Angeles with the Clippers and Aminu signed a free-agent deal with Orlando. They are likely to be replaced in the starting lineup by Rodney Hood at small forward and Zach Collins at power forward, and I’m not yet convinced there will be a huge dropoff. Hood is no slouch on defense, but he is not as tall, strong or effective as Harkless. And I think most would consider Collins a plus defender with the chance to be exceptional. But it’s one thing for Collins to do it for 20 minutes a game as a reserve and another to do it every night against starters. So yes, this might very well be a situation where we don’t realize the full defensive impact of Harkless and Aminu until they are gone. But I don’t think Hood is a glaring hole on defense, and I’ve seen enough from Collins in his first two seasons not to be concerned about his defense. In fact, while many are justly touting a breakout season for second-year guard Anfernee Simons, I think Collins is going to make the biggest splash leaguewide, and I think his defense is what’s going to grab people’s attention. Also, I think there are some talented and savvy vets who can come off the bench — guys such as Kent Bazemore, Anthony Tolliver and Pau Gasol. Bazemore is a former defensive player of the year in college, and Tolliver has been among the league leaders in charges drawn for the past couple seasons. And Gasol is as smart and experienced as they come. Infinite-part question regarding the front line: 1. How strong do you think Nurk will come back? 2. Can Collins bang enough to help inside or will he be more of a stretch 4 with weakside blocks? 3. When Nurk comes back, how do you think the Whiteside/Nurk/Collins rotations work? — Brian J. I think the team will make sure Nurkic doesn’t come back until he is 200 percent ready. He is such a unique talent, one of the franchise pillars, and there is no way they risk bringing him back too early. All reports so far from Olshey indicate his recovery from a broken left leg is on schedule, if not ahead. The informal target date for his return is sometime around February, and whenever he returns, it would be normal to expect him to be rusty, and probably a little winded. So I’m sure they will bring him along slowly, like 15 minutes the first week, then 20-to-25 minutes, and so on, with the goal having him in regular, game shape by the playoffs in April. I have zero doubts Nurkic is and will be putting in the work to be his best. By now, we know what is inside of Nurkic: since he has been in Portland, he has been a very hard worker, as evidenced by his losing 39 pounds in an offseason. And since his March injury, he remained engaged with the team — showing up unexpectedly to a film session ahead of Game 1 in the playoffs, then famously showing up in Game 5 — without crutches — to help ignite the series-clinching comeback. Part of what makes Collins so valuable is he has an inside and outside game, both offensively and defensively. He shot 33 percent from 3 last season, and I would guess he expects that to be 36-37 percent this season. But his true love is playing inside, and he likes talking about his improvements inside, particularly with his footwork. And one thing Blazers fans know is Collins isn’t afraid of contact, and now that he is up to 250 pounds, I don’t think there should be concern about him being able to hold his own down low. One of the biggest questions of the season will be how the big-man rotation pans out at the end of the season. Right now, I would say don’t worry about it, it’s a good problem to have. In the meantime, we have to see just how well Whiteside acclimates himself to the Blazers’ style and culture, and just how quickly Nurkic returns to a semblance of his dominant self. But if all three are humming along, I would say Nurkic would get the start and play the most because he is the most complete package. For all of Nurkic’s offensive brilliance last season (15.6 points, 3.2 assists) he was also a beast on defense. From there, Stotts can plug and play Whiteside and Collins and Gasol to fit what he needs at the time. Of course, the best scenario is that the Blazers are winning at a rate that makes them a contender, which will help Stotts and company to sell to the big men corps the value of roles and sacrificing. Do you think eventually Hassan’s contract is going to be used in a trade for (Kevin) Love? What else would the Blazers have to add to acquire Love … is it even a thought in the front office? — Paul P. First, let me say this as clearly as possible: From what I’ve been told from a very reliable source inside the Blazers, the team HAS ZERO INTENTION of trading Hassan Whiteside this season. Same with Kent Bazemore. They traded for these guys because they think they help push the Blazers into a tier of contenders. Also, I’m really surprised people are still stuck on this Kevin Love thing. He’s a very good player, and his passing and shooting would fit beautifully in Stotts’ system, but from a money standpoint, it’s not going to happen. Love this season makes $28.9 million and he is under contract until he is 34, with years of $31.25 million, $31.25 million and $28.9 million owed to him. I just don’t think it’s fiscally responsible to take on that contract at his age. Do you have any initial takes on Whiteside? Any observations? Is anyone taking him under their wing? – Thomas B. In July, I wrote about how Damian Lillard immediately reached out to Whiteside after the trade, and told him he intends to bring the best out of him. A few days later, Whiteside told me that the lengths to which Lillard reached out to him, and his message, was what Whiteside had been waiting for his whole career. My observations of Whiteside are limited to one conversation with him in Las Vegas and a lengthy phone conversation with his trainer and manager. He’s a little bit of a different bird. My guess is he’s going to say some wild and weird stuff, much like Evan Turner did, and he is going to have bouts of frustration. But I also think he is going to thrive in the Blazers’ culture, which has a way of allowing you to be yourself, yet preventing one from going outside the lines. As Wade Baldwin told me last season: “It’s hard to be a dickhead here,” Baldwin said, “because you are going to stick out like a sore thumb. You would look ridiculous.” He had some rough times in Miami, during which he bickered with the coach about his usage, and was accused by some of not playing hard all the time. But as one person inside the Blazers noted, it’s not like he has ever done anything egregious or illegal. His biggest blowups have always been centered on being frustrated with being on a losing team. But again, I think the Blazers’ culture is so solid, and the two leaders — Lillard and CJ McCollum — have established relationships with Whiteside. McCollum was friends with Whiteside years ago, with Whiteside spending some summer nights at McCollum’s Portland home, and Lillard has been proactive in establishing a relationship from the start, much like he did with Nurkic. And of note: In the Blazers’ newly converted locker room, Whiteside was assigned the locker previously occupied by Maurice Harkless, which happens to be located next to Lillard. I don’t think that was by accident. Can you please bring back the Inside the Locker Room series? — Penny N. We will see. So much of that series was a reflection of the access and openess the players of that era (Brandon Roy, Jarrett Jack, Travis Outlaw, Aldridge, Batum) afforded me. I will try to forge that trust and connection with this group, but it will likely take some time considering there are going to be so many new faces. But it is those behind-the-scenes glimpses, and the nuances of what makes a team a team that I enjoy the most about a season, and I will work hard to bring those in some way, shape or form throughout the season.
