Portland Trail Blazers: Unusual Suspects
By Steve Krebs
It has not been the healthiest of stretches for the Portland Trail Blazers over the course of the last few weeks, but they are still managing to pile up the wins on a consistent basis, thanks to a band of unusual suspects who have proved most efficient in stepping up due to recent injuries in the frontcourt.
In a perfect world, or season, you would rather not be looking to the eighth guy or further along on your bench for a substantial amount of solid play, but such is the case in Portland, and the boys are making some pretty tasty lemonade out of these lemons.
So who are these unlikely sources of production ?
Recently Coach Terry Stotts has been going to the well also knowm as Dorell Wright, who despite having very little relevance for most of the season has been called to step in over the last eight games (albeit, spanning over a wide range).
The opportunity has not exactly been fruitful, yet, he has knocked down seven three-pointers, while collecting four blocks and four steals– consistency has never been his strong suit, but he is a firecracker that can give you high production on any given night.
Steve Blake never gets the credit he deserves due to the underwhelming overall stats he accumulates, be that as it may, his services are weighed heavier in regards to the contributions that do not always appear in the box scores–such as pressuring opposing guards, ball handling (see below), and a propensity to swing the ball for an open shot effectively.
His off-the-bench consistency is arguably the second-highest on the team, so look for Blake to continue to be a serviceable backup moving forward, and to see an increase from the 22 minutes per game he was already seeing.
Meyers Leonard has played incredibly in his newfound role, and even though he was unable to record a block in four games last week, his presence affected enough shots for Portland to keep teams at bay in the one area that they are most vulnerable in at the moment, points in the paint.
Considering the Blazers are giving up 45.8 points every contest down low, Leonard is going to have his work cut out for him when trying to contest around the rim without committing fouls, this will result in a lot fewer blocks–evident in the goose-egg Sunday, but I will take that over the alternative, which is letting the opposition score at will down low.
Oh yeah, and if you were not already privy, he can do this:
Last, but certainly not least, is the 7-footer out of Central Michigan, Chris, I Kaman like a wreeeecking ball. Granted, coach is coddling Kaman‘s minutes in hopes that the oft-injured free agent acquisition does not go down himself, but he has really been a bright spot in a very murky situation.
Over his last four games, he has racked up 35 rebounds, and blocked seven shots, proving to be quite the force under the rim. As I mentioned before with Leonard, the team will definitely benefit most from Kaman’s defense down low.
He will have to be given nights off to keep his health in good standing, but his strength, and awareness make him a brutal matchup for any opponent looking for an easy day in the paint, especially if you are Kelly Olynyk or Tyler Zeller (see below):
The eight playoff spots in the Western Conference are separated by 11 games, and with teams already 33-40 games in, there will be no shortage in transparency from now to the end of the season. The Portland Trail Blazers will need to continue to find lightning in a bottle from unlikely sources due to the losses to the frontcourt, if they want to be playing at home in April.