Game 15: Portland vs OKC 5:00pm KATU/Charge tv

[DusterBuster]

Perfect tanking game. Played hard, still lost.

Worried about Scoot’s confidence - bro needs to be taking more than 8 shots a game. Screw the game outcome and shooting percentages, just get shots up and get some confidence back in your scoring.

[PDXKnight]

Perfect tanking game. Played hard, still lost.

Worried about Scoot’s confidence - bro needs to be taking more than 8 shots a game. Screw the game outcome and shooting percentages, just get shots up and get some confidence back in your scoring.

Competitive loss!

Scoot got hurt so didn't have a full chance to plat. But yeah he should shoot more. At least without ayton and simons in there's shots to go arouns

[Roy The Natural]

Great game. Gotta give it to the Blazers, they didn't roll over. Williams and SGA making big time shots...Blazers don't really have a player with that mentality and talent level.

I'd LOVE to see Shaedon get there, but he likely won't.

Scoot is taking too much time processing the game, both on defense without the ball and on the catch on offense. This plus his lack of threat from 3 allowed the OKC defense to get set the whole time he was on the court. Let's hope his game processing speeds up with more experience...

Probably... maybe. It feels to me like Sharpe is growing into a Jaylen Brown type guy. He may never be THE GUY consistently. But I think he definitely feels like a keeper and impact player.

Scoot has shown progression... but it's hard to really believe in him at this point. I'm keeping patient, but he's feeling more role player than impact at this point. Hopefully he takes more steps forward. But it's starting to feel like a DJ Augustin type guy with a long and productive career as a backup. Still early though.

[DusterBuster]

Spoiler:

Perfect tanking game. Played hard, still lost.

Worried about Scoot’s confidence - bro needs to be taking more than 8 shots a game. Screw the game outcome and shooting percentages, just get shots up and get some confidence back in your scoring.

Competitive loss!

Scoot got hurt so didn't have a full chance to plat. But yeah he should shoot more. At least without ayton and simons in there's shots to go arouns

Didn't watch the game and... ugh. Scoot's durability is super concerning too.

[Norm2953]

Didn't see the game (again) but his injury did impact the game. Too bad Portland didn't keep Kolek
from last years draft, for it would help having a legit backup PG

[zzaj]

Perfect tanking game. Played hard, still lost.

Worried about Scoot’s confidence - bro needs to be taking more than 8 shots a game. Screw the game outcome and shooting percentages, just get shots up and get some confidence back in your scoring.

It looks to me like coach has his ear re: efficiency—taking the correct shots rather than inefficient shots (a là Chauncey).

The Gleague did Scoot no favors AT ALL in terms of setting him up for success as a lead guard in the NBA. I believe he would have been a bit further along right now if he would have played better organized basketball—but really, who can say.

[DaVoiceMaster]

Early in the first quarter, I thought the Blazers blew it. They never looked for Clingan. They finally did in the second quarter.

Any idea why Sharpe got pulled the last minute of the game? In the off-season, Sharpe needs to work on his handles. That guy loses the ball way too often when making a move or driving to the hoop.

[DusterBuster]

Perfect tanking game. Played hard, still lost.

Worried about Scoot’s confidence - bro needs to be taking more than 8 shots a game. Screw the game outcome and shooting percentages, just get shots up and get some confidence back in your scoring.

It looks to me like coach has his ear re: efficiency—taking the correct shots rather than inefficient shots (a là Chauncey).

The Gleague did Scoot no favors AT ALL in terms of setting him up for success as a lead guard in the NBA. I believe he would have been a bit further along right now if he would have played better organized basketball—but really, who can say.

Yeah, the Ignite was an absolute unmitigated disaster for the league and it's good they shut it down.

[Walton1one]

Yeah, I think fewer shot attempts from Scoot is a good thing, not a bad thing.

8 assists last night (4 TO), he needs to keep working on cutting down the TO. Sometimes he just forces\attempts passes that just are not there or he gets lazy with a pass. Those are all correctable and he still is young (20). G-League certainly did not do him any favors, I don't think it did any of the players that came from there any favors. All of them seem to be 1-2 years delayed.

Didn't see the game (again) but his injury did impact the game. Too bad Portland didn't keep Kolek
from last years draft, for it would help having a legit backup PG

Yep, instead Billups is utilizing Banton in that role, which he is not suited for at all.

11 shots for Banton tonight (tied for 2nd), so is he meant to get the 2nd most # of attempts on this team, seriously?

Hate to say it, but can't wait for Simons to come back...

[zzaj]

Yeah, I think fewer shot attempts from Scoot is a good thing, not a bad thing.

8 assists last night (4 TO), he needs to keep working on cutting down the TO. Sometimes he just forces\attempts passes that just are not there or he gets lazy with a pass. Those are all correctable and he still is young (20). G-League certainly did not do him any favors, I don't think it did any of the players that came from there any favors. All of them seem to be 1-2 years delayed.

Didn't see the game (again) but his injury did impact the game. Too bad Portland didn't keep Kolek
from last years draft, for it would help having a legit backup PG

Yep, instead Billups is utilizing Banton in that role, which he is not suited for at all.

11 shots for Banton tonight (tied for 2nd), so is he meant to get the 2nd most # of attempts on this team, seriously?

Hate to say it, but can't wait for Simons to come back...

Why? Banton has been a better offensive player and defensive player this season. Plus he seems to fit in with the Blazers' defensive identity.

Personally, I don't want Simons back to being offensive option hero ball #1 while meanwhile being a defensive sieve for 30 minutes a game.

[Shem]

Watch on YouTube

[BlazersBroncos]

Yeah, I think fewer shot attempts from Scoot is a good thing, not a bad thing.

8 assists last night (4 TO), he needs to keep working on cutting down the TO. Sometimes he just forces\attempts passes that just are not there or he gets lazy with a pass. Those are all correctable and he still is young (20). G-League certainly did not do him any favors, I don't think it did any of the players that came from there any favors. All of them seem to be 1-2 years delayed.

Didn't see the game (again) but his injury did impact the game. Too bad Portland didn't keep Kolek
from last years draft, for it would help having a legit backup PG

Yep, instead Billups is utilizing Banton in that role, which he is not suited for at all.

11 shots for Banton tonight (tied for 2nd), so is he meant to get the 2nd most # of attempts on this team, seriously?

Hate to say it, but can't wait for Simons to come back...

Why? Banton has been a better offensive player and defensive player this season. Plus he seems to fit in with the Blazers' defensive identity.

Personally, I don't want Simons back to being offensive option hero ball #1 while meanwhile being a defensive sieve for 30 minutes a game.

This. Banton has many of the same faults as Simons, but at least he is tall, lanky and better on defense.

If we have a chucker we might as well go with the one that brings something new on the floor instead of the one who has been around for the better part of a decade.

[Wizenheimer]

Yeah, I think fewer shot attempts from Scoot is a good thing, not a bad thing.

8 assists last night (4 TO), he needs to keep working on cutting down the TO. Sometimes he just forces\attempts passes that just are not there or he gets lazy with a pass. Those are all correctable and he still is young (20). G-League certainly did not do him any favors, I don't think it did any of the players that came from there any favors. All of them seem to be 1-2 years delayed.



Yep, instead Billups is utilizing Banton in that role, which he is not suited for at all.

11 shots for Banton tonight (tied for 2nd), so is he meant to get the 2nd most # of attempts on this team, seriously?

Hate to say it, but can't wait for Simons to come back...

Why? Banton has been a better offensive player and defensive player this season. Plus he seems to fit in with the Blazers' defensive identity.

Personally, I don't want Simons back to being offensive option hero ball #1 while meanwhile being a defensive sieve for 30 minutes a game.

This. Banton has many of the same faults as Simons, but at least he is tall, lanky and better on defense.

If we have a chucker we might as well go with the one that brings something new on the floor instead of the one who has been around for the better part of a decade.

yeah....CJ became the starter in 2015. Simons is CJ 2.0 (only not as good IMO). So if Simons isn't traded and remains a starter, at the end of this season it will be a full decade of the failed experiment. And it was obvious the experiment was failing by 2016

[Walton1one]

Yeah, I think fewer shot attempts from Scoot is a good thing, not a bad thing.

8 assists last night (4 TO), he needs to keep working on cutting down the TO. Sometimes he just forces\attempts passes that just are not there or he gets lazy with a pass. Those are all correctable and he still is young (20). G-League certainly did not do him any favors, I don't think it did any of the players that came from there any favors. All of them seem to be 1-2 years delayed.



Yep, instead Billups is utilizing Banton in that role, which he is not suited for at all.

11 shots for Banton tonight (tied for 2nd), so is he meant to get the 2nd most # of attempts on this team, seriously?

Hate to say it, but can't wait for Simons to come back...

Why? Banton has been a better offensive player and defensive player this season. Plus he seems to fit in with the Blazers' defensive identity.

Personally, I don't want Simons back to being offensive option hero ball #1 while meanwhile being a defensive sieve for 30 minutes a game.

This. Banton has many of the same faults as Simons, but at least he is tall, lanky and better on defense.

If we have a chucker we might as well go with the one that brings something new on the floor instead of the one who has been around for the better part of a decade.

Except that Banton is a far worse player, like, not even close

Both are 25, Simons is 5 months older than Banton

Banton has career averages of 41.4% FG & 30.5% 3ptFG
Simons has career averages of 43% FG & 38.3% 3ptFG

I am all for Simons being dealt away & I don't like watching either play, however, I also am not in favor of replacing one offensive chucker for a taller worse version of one either.

Banton's USG is 30.4%!!! That is completely ridiculous and higher than EVERY other player on the team. So Banton is the player who should be dominating all of POR possessions now?

USG
Simons 26.5%
Grant 21.7%
Ayton 18.9%
Sharpe 27.1%
Avdija 20.4%
Henderson 24.9%

What is even crazier about that stat is that Banton is 10th on the team in MPG (14.8).

[BlazersBroncos]

Why? Banton has been a better offensive player and defensive player this season. Plus he seems to fit in with the Blazers' defensive identity.

Personally, I don't want Simons back to being offensive option hero ball #1 while meanwhile being a defensive sieve for 30 minutes a game.

This. Banton has many of the same faults as Simons, but at least he is tall, lanky and better on defense.

If we have a chucker we might as well go with the one that brings something new on the floor instead of the one who has been around for the better part of a decade.

Except that Banton is a far worse player, like, not even close

Both are 25, Simons is 5 months older than Banton

Banton has career averages of 41.4% FG & 30.5% 3ptFG
Simons has career averages of 43% FG & 38.3% 3ptFG

I am all for Simons being dealt away & I don't like watching either play, however, I also am not in favor of replacing one offensive chucker for a taller worse version of one either.

Banton's USG is 30.4%!!! That is completely ridiculous and higher than EVERY other player on the team. So Banton is the player who should be dominating all of POR possessions now?

USG
Simons 26.5%
Grant 21.7%
Ayton 18.9%
Sharpe 27.1%
Avdija 20.4%
Henderson 24.9%

Banton cost pennies. Its easier to deal with a flawed chucker when he is making near the vet min.

That usage will drop, Banton didnt get into the rotation until a few weeks ago. And honestly while his usage is huge he is also, per advanced metrics, our best non-big. His WS/48, OBPM, DBPM, etc are all off the charts right now.

Yes the team became watchable when Simons and Ayton went out - but it also helped that RWIII and Banton came in.

I am not arguing he is a world beater, not saying we should take this likely aberration of a season and pay him big, but he is playing well. There is no denying that - all metrics point to him being a huge player in this team going from unwatchable to pretty fun to see.

End of the day even if Banton and Simons were playing at the exact same level (Which is not true so far this year - Banton has been much better) - I would still take Banton simply based on the salary and being much taller / lankier.

In terms of replacing one chucker with another - I get that to an extent but this team really lacks guys that can create. Scoot and Deni can go downhill and kick out but neither are really creating shots for themselves outside the restricted area. Grant and Sharpe are the only guys who can call their own number and have it not be a disaster 50% of the time. We probably need another guy that can do the same and Banton has shown that ability during this hot streak.

I would love to be able to make a good faith argument that Scoot should see more usage than Banton - but I am not sure that is possible without disastrous effect. Scoot has not really improved his 2nd and 3rd level scoring at near the rate we need, he is still historically bad at finishing and he makes TONS of bad passes. You cant look at Banton's usage and shots and say - lets just give them to Scoot.

Banton isnt just chucking though - the team as a whole plays much, much better when he is on the floor. Its actually a 24(!) point On/Off swing between him and Scoot -

Banton On/Off +12.5
Scoot On/Off -12.6

A team playing better basketball is good for the development for the other youngsters. A flowing offense and competent defense is very useful for player development - and Banton helps create that environment much more so than Scoot at this point. It cant just be about Scoot developing - its about Sharpe, Donovan, Kris, Toumari, Rayan, etc.

[Walton1one]

Fair enough points.

I am not a fan of Banton, clearly

I just don't see the point of him playing ahead\instead of players who might be part of a future core in Scoot\Avdija, even if they struggle. Nor do I agree that while he is in the game he should be dominating possessions as much as he is. Fans yell at Simons for doing the exact same thing (with better results, this year notwithstanding) however accept it with Banton.

If any of Scoot\Avdija\Sharpe\Camara\Murray\Clingan are in the game WITH Banton I would much rather see more possessions utilizing those players than Banton pounding the rock.

Is POR mgmt interested in developing those guys or padding Banton's stats? I mean if it is the latter why not just keep Simons?

You have to play those guys and live with the bad while you evaluate them.

No doubt Scoot has been uneven at best this year, but his AST% is good, and yeah, you have to live with all the bad possessions that come along with his growth if the team REALLY is interested in seeing if he is a part of that core or not.

Banton is a known commodity, Scoot is 20yrs old, five years younger, trying to compare the performance of the two is missing the bigger picture IMO.

As for Simons' poor start to this season, I am of the opinion that he has expressed a desire to be gone from this team and we will see a series of injuries (now a hand sprain) until he is ultimately dealt. Maybe he plays a game here and there to show teams he is healthy, but I think the guy has been checked out since LY and Cronin knew he wanted out but has slow played this b\c he thinks he can get a better deal by doing so (same with every other vet on this team). I guess we will see what happens.