I think he going to battle against Baldwin and Nik for playing time. It going be a lot depends how Stotts going to use CJ if he going to use him with the 2nd unit. If he does that will take opportunity away from Trent Nik and Baldwin to get any serious minutes.
Kerry Eggers is one of my favorite local writers covering the Blazers...don't think he gets enough credit sometimes
I really believe this young man is going to end up being a steal at where he was drafted. That doesn't mean I'm predicting he's going to be an all star and maybe not even a starter (at least not early in his career). But, I believe at the very least, he will be a rotation player and prolific scorer off the bench. And that's a pretty damn good get at No. 37 in any draft. I also think he'll be part of the rotation sooner than expected - like maybe even the second half of this season, or beginning of next. Our pattern in recent years has been that our 2nd round picks finally crack the rotation in their 3rd season, and even though Trent Jr. is much younger than Crabbe, Connaughton and Layman were as rookies, I think he'll earn his spot in the rotation sooner than they did. BNM
Steak Sauces. I actually am looking forward to what Simons and Trent will bring, over the next few years.
Smart ass answer: Connaughton's. Same role, better player. Serious answer: Hopefully some of Turner's. Totally different players, but we need shooters on the floor, both with the second unit and to take defensive pressure off Dame and C.J. when we go small. BNM
Connaughtons replacement is Curry. The only way Trent plays is if Terry takes CJ off the second unit. That kind of trust would only come with time. Another option could be to move Turner to PF. That would depend on matchups but it’s not that crazy of an idea. He’ll give up some length but he’s stronger than the average wing and is a smart defender. CJ Curry Trent Turner Collins
Which long term I think is better for us as a team. Staggering CJ and Dame so that one is always on the court only gets you so far in this league. It hurts the flow of the second unit imo having CJ in it. We need a solid five that come off the bench each night and let our starters rest together so they can talk and what ever on the bench.
Every team in the nba attempts to keep at least one of their main offensive kogs on the court at all times. It makes everyone's job on the second unit easier if this is the case. Not doing this is going against what has been trending in the NBA since really the turn of the decade. You don't have to like CJ in this position because in your opinion it's not natural for him to make plays for others. By having him run with the second unit prevents ball movement due to CJ's tenancy to pound the rock. But having the opinion there should be two separate units is no longer relevant in basketball. Only in video games.
Idk I'm sure Pop runs a full bench unit at times. I get what you're saying about teams keeping a starter but with our team I think we rely on CJ and Dame too much for offense. When CJ is on the floor with the bench he's the number one option. No one else steps up they just defer to CJ lol. I hope we run a ton of bench only second units in the preseason to see if we can produce without CJ and Dame on the floor. I think in the long run Ant and Gary will be able to step up.
