dckingsfan wrote:zzaj wrote:zzaj wrote:I'll go with 21 wins. Last in the WC and worst in the NBA.
I believe Brooklyn and the Wiz will win more than the Blazers due to playing in the East and having to play each other.
Predictions:
--BOTH Simons and Grant will be traded, and Scoot will miss 30ish games due to injury.
--By season end I believe Deni will emerge as the Blazer's "best" player after struggling a bit the first 15 games or so.
--The Blazers will pick second in 2025 and choose either Ace Bailey or Dylan Harper.
--Scoot will improve pretty dramatically at the rim and to a lesser extent, his 3pt%.
--Both Scoot and Sharpe will continue to be lost defensively, and not make much headway on that end.
Also quoting myself...
Looks like mine was more of a "will it into being" than anything else.
Am happy to be wrong about a couple of those (Scoot), but some of them I was pretty dead on--looking at Deni here.
I am NOT happy that the Blazers didn't trade Simons and Grant for anything, and wish they were closer to the 21 wins of my prediction.
Yeah, for this off-season I think that Simons, Sharpe and Ayton won't be moved and may well get crippling extensions. If we were to get the #2 pick, some of that could change.
I thought Deni would improve like he did also. I thought Camara would improve more. And I thought that Walker did a nice breakout.
For next year, if Deni, Camara and Walker take the next step, that is a really good forward rotation (Grant will be in there - he isn't going anywhere with that contract).
Now back to Scoot. I thought he was better defensively this year than last? Do you see him breaking out next year? I mean he is only 20 and seems to be working hard. I do expect Clingan to take a huge jump next year. I mean, a 20-year-old playing like that defensively is a thing of beauty.
The one I just can't wrap my head around is Sharpe. He has the tools but doesn't seem to have the BBIQ to take the next step offensively or the motor to do so defensively.
I guess this is predictions for '26...
One thing that is true is that not every player improves in the same way or at the same time. Usually the biggest jumps happen within the first 4 years of a player's NBA career, but sometimes it's a big jump, and sometimes it's more linear.
Scoot seemed to buy into the defensive culture that Billups was selling and that Camara personified. He'll always have size issues, even with plus length and good strength/weight for his size...for Scoot to get better it's got to be between his ears. Understanding the scout of the other team and players, and how to disrupt that. Jrue Holiday was/is a master of that...
I thought Scoot's exit interview was pretty telling, and much more encouraging than last years'. He had a veritable laundry list of things he says he intends to work on over the summer. So that with his age is all a good thing. I think for him it's really processing the game more than anything. That will hopefully come with time and reps. Certainly being an NBA PG is A LOT, and he's never really been tasked to play that role...even in the G-league.
Clingan also said all the right things in his exit interview. His issue at this point is that he plays like a finesse player, but doesn't have any finesse. lol
I was encouraged by that almost dunk against Len in the PHX game. POWER is what he needs to hang his hat on at this stage, IMO. A solid summer in the weight room, on the bike, offensive reps against post double teams, all will help. He needs to get better at recognizing and anticipating ball movement in the post as well. He is very "reactionary" at this point, and tends to lose the ball defensively after 1 or two passes. He's got pretty quick hands, but needs to keep them higher at all times. There are some basic fundamental things that need to become second nature...like using his body to get position for rebounds and defend moving players. Right now he uses his arms and hands to push and gain position, which is why his hands are down a lot of the time when they shouldn't be. Basically, he's always gotten away with being the biggest kid in the room, and he has to break some bad habits. I'd love to see him shoot 70+% from the FT line. Sub 60% is unacceptable...
With Sharpe, I honestly feel like much will depend on his role. Right now the Blazers have a lot of players that need the ball in their hands to be their most effective: Deni, Sharpe and Scoot. You can add Grant and Simons to that group...this season they were asked to do less of that within the offense and we saw the effects. Both players had a down year, with Grant falling off a cliff. I feel like Sharpe's 3pt efficiency will come around once he understands what a good shot and what a bad shot is...personally, I'd rather he take ALL the shots than disappear. He's gotten better as a finisher around the basket this year. He strikes me as a player that will have a more linear type of progression. Identifying good 3pt shots, making better use of his good mid-range game, and staying engaged, broadening his defensive IQ and utilizing his athleticism on defense generally are areas for him, IMHO. He's got a great example of how he should be playing defensively sitting next to him in Thybulle. Matisse is a great example of a player who utilizes high BBIQ and processing to his advantage, to understand where the ball will be going within an offense and what players want to do.
Sorry about the long post...
