Trent Jr. I'm hoping he will be this summer's (and next season's) Kyle Kuzma - the guy several GMs end up kicking themselves about passing on. I don't expect him to be a starter, like Kuzma was as a rookie, but POR isn't a sucky ass lottery team like the Lakers were. I'd love to see him crack the rotation from opening night, or at the very least work his way into the rotation by Christmas. We haven't had anyone coming off the bench since Mo Williams who wasn't afraid to take a big shot. Crabbe was a good shooter, as long as he was wide open and had his feet set, but was WAY to passive to count on with the game on the line. Trent seems to be much more aggressive and plays with much more confidence. I want to see what this kid can do. BNM
In this order: Simons: I need to see this bark they're talking about. Need to see him pass the eye test. SL is guard oriented so I'm looking for him to too be aggressive. Collins: Horrible 17'-18' SL. He'll be looking to make an impact. It'll be nice to see how much impact that "gained 20 in the off-season" narrative has. Baldwin: Can he make the rotation? Trent: Ditto
I have a feeling that Swanigan is going to go the way of Vonleh. Hang around for a few years with his defenders always thinking that this is going to be His Year when in fact he doesn't have an NBA game/body. Hope I'm wrong, because he seems like a good kid, but what's the successful current NBA player who gives us hope for him?
They could do that and still take a step backwards! But it's good to remind ourselves of last year's SL team. It entertained us for a while but ended up being totally meaningless. The players that looked worst (and barely played) were Collins and Connaughton, who played most in the regular season, while the "stars" (Biggie, Layton and Guttierez) barely figured at all (or didn't even get a camp invite). That's not to say that SL is meaningless, because Kuzma, Tatum and Donovan Mitchell all looked great in SL and carried that over, just that it was meaningless for us.
I worry that we expect too much of Simons. He should struggle, as this is a huge step up in competition for him.
This is the first year where I'm really hoping the guys play as a team instead of trying to just be out there for themselves. I know that isn't how summer league works but it would be cool to see them play more like it's a Blazers regular season game. Baldwin, Layman, and Collins I really just want them to not completely mess up. The real test for them is going to be proving their worth in games that actually matter. Simons: I really just want to get a gauge on how far (or close) he is from being able to contribute. Are we talking 3-4 years away or can he show enough to not be in the G-League all year? Swanigan: There are two reasons that I am hopeful that Biggie at least replicates his production from last summer. The first is that we need some confidence that he can fill a rotation spot if the roster stays as is. The second is that he could really help his trade value with a good showing. Trent: Will he be just another wing lost in the sea of wings at summer league or will his shooting stand out? I'm also looking to see if his ball handling is better than he showed at Duke.
I'm fine with him struggling so long as I see him learning from his mistakes throughout the week of basketball. So far it sounds like he's picking things up like a sponge in the mini camp before summer league.
One guy everyone should be rooting for is Papa G, especially with how the roster is currently constructed. Leonard is the backup center right now. If Papa G can show an ability to stretch the court, he could really push not only for a spot on the roster, but the backup center job. There are reasons to believe he can do just that. He’s a very good free throw shooter (near 80% in the g league) and shows a pretty good stroke on jumpers when given looks. Defensively he’s much superior to Leonard and has mentioned a focus this offseason was improving his lateral agility. He’s also a very good offensive rebounder, something Leonard is awful at, and probably the thing we’ll miss most about Ed Davis. His pick and roll ability is also much better than Leonard’s. So he’s got a huge opportunity in front of him, hope he takes advantage. Please god.
Rumor is he already has a contract in Europe https://www.blazersedge.com/2018/7/...portland-trail-blazers-contract-panathinaikos
Played as team, check. Not completely messing up, check. Simons, skills-wise close, but overall not quite there, not a PG yet. He's 6th guard, so no pressure to rush development. But he'll be ready to go next year. Swanny, very poor decision-making, everyone gave up on him, then he kills it. Could use consistency, in a good way Trent, If there's an injury, could step in as 4th guard right away. Much better dribbler and defender than advertised. What do you think?
