Four games into their 2024-25 NBA campaign, the Portland Trail Blazers are sitting right at where most fans want (and Vegas expected) them to be.
1-3 on the season, Portland has already been completely blown out, had a dominant win, come up short in the clutch, and had their opponent run away with a game in the 2nd half.
But it’s not the scoreboard that will determine the success of the Blazers this year. It’s the individual performances of players, all of whom are trying out to be a part of next season when Portland finally shifts gears from reverse to drive:
Scoot Henderson:
The most polarizing Blazer in the building right now, Scoot has continued his up-and-down ways to start this season.
Trying to unlock the part of his game that will take him to the next level, Scoot is still being aggressive in going to the rim. He’s not shying away from ill-advised challenges here and there but is overall stronger when going up with it than last season, where he often tried a more creative finish to try and get around lengthier defenders.
His passing is still his only visible X-factor currently. He’s tallied at least four assists in every game, and would likely have a handful more if the Blazers were shooting better as a whole. Overall though, we’re seeing a lot more of the same from Scoot as we did last season to start this year. Currently averaging 16/3.5/5.5 on 41.2/21.4/86.4 splits, his shooting inconsistencies are still a big part of the story.
He did put together one really nice performance in the loss to the Pelicans, but when taking a look at what Jordan Hawki (also part of the 2023 NBA draft class) was doing the same night, it makes it seem a little less special.
Donovan Clingan:
Donovan Clingan has stayed with his obstructive ways this season.
He commands attention when anyone drives to the hoop on him, no matter the opponent’s pedigree or stature. The big man is still being eased into the action, averaging a steady 13 minutes per game. On a minute-by-minute basis, however, he has been arguably the second-best Blazer on the court.
He has tallied eight blocks in four games along with seven rebounds per game in his last three outings. Beyond the box score, he’s setting screens and rolling with aggression, something Ayton is often incapable of doing. He has yet to go against a premier center so far, but he’s more than handled the competition he has faced. Clingan is a key part of why the Blazers’ defense has been decently successful so far this year.
Toumani Camara:
Speaking of the Blazers’ defensive success so far this year, Camara is the current embodiment of this team. His length, strength and knack for making sound defensive plays are what Billups is trying to instill in the rest of the guys. He’s been a versatile defensive hub that his teammates are playing off of.
When Toumani, Deni, and Jerami are all on the court together playing the 2-4, the sheer wingspan is something teams have struggled with. The Warriors’ runaway blowout is bogging down the statistical performance of this team, but it’s easy to see how certain stars are having a tough time with the size Portland displays. Zion was 7-27 in his two games against the Blazers.
Deni Avdija:
Besides putting the ball in the basket (he’s shooting 29% from the floor and less than 7% from three), Deni is doing a lot of things well.
He is another lengthy, strong defender who clogs up passing lanes and can disrupt a variety of shots. He’s also been a good passer and rebounder, averaging three assists and six rebounds a game. The shooting can be chalked up to misfortune, as he is coming off of his best shooting season, and in a way, it might be better if Deni shoots poorly at the moment, since the goal right now is to lose games after all. Hopefully, it doesn’t become a long-term trend.
Jerami Grant:
Fans have their eyes on a handful of other players for their supposed ceiling and value to the future of the team, but Jerami Grant has been hands down the best player on the floor for the Blazers. He put up 31 points in the Pelicans games and was the reason why the Blazers found offensive success. He has an ultimate green light and when the shot is falling, he makes this team dangerous.
On top of that, he’s stepped up his game defensively too. He’s averaging 2.3 blocks per game and has tallied at least one steal in every contest. Many fans want Jerami traded as soon as possible, but he’s contributing more than most to the defensive makeup that Chauncey is demanding. Without his shot-making ability, who knows what this team would look like on offense?
Deandre Ayton:
The league has known what Ayton is for a while now.
Blazer fans might be in more denial than most, but it’s hard to ignore his lack of effort in certain spots. As a screener, Ayton acts like a wet noodle. In what is already a struggling offense, having the first screen fail to amount to anything productive really cuts down on the amount of time the Blazers have to work within the halfcourt. To combat this, Portland is trying to be a transition team when they can, but Ayton fails to be effective there as well.
He’s recorded a double-double in each of the first four games this season, continuing to produce in the ways he knows how, but there doesn’t seem to be a desire or a path for him to get better as a player. With Clingan being elite at the things Ayton doesn’t want to do, it will only be a matter of time before Donovan starts to clean up the glass and score as effectively as Ayton.
Anfernee Simons:
The last player on this update is who most people would consider the most talented.
Anfernee provides most of the things the Blazers are lacking right now which are shooting and isolation scoring. His shooting marks are down overall (37.7/30.3/91.7), but he was also effective in the two Pelicans games, dropping 24 and 27 points respectively.
His defensive woes can be compensated by the aforementioned length throughout the rest of the starting lineup. However, Simons is going to have to show he can be a night-in, night-out go-to option eventually. He still has plenty of time to settle into that role. Unfortunately, the reality is that when Anfernee is missing shots, he’s not really providing much else to the success of this team.
Leave a comment