LaMarcus Aldridge will once again anchor the offense for the Blazers. (Photo/Flickr.com)
It’s that time of year, people — training camp rosters are being finalized and though the key players for each franchise are known, there are still training camp battles for final roster spots. The Blazers, like most teams, have invited more than the 15 they are allowed to keep, because you just never know when you will find someone unexpected to steal a roster spot.
The Blazers went conservative with their invites (three) and only have 18 total players. Let’s take a look at each one individually and their chances of making the roster. I have broken the roster down into three categories: Returning Players, Newly Acquired and Camp Invitees.
RETURNING PLAYERS:
Damian Lillard (Starting PG) – Last year, the sixth overall pick in the draft lit the league on fire on his way to easily taking home Rookie of the Year honors. Amazingly, he took home the Rookie of the Month in every month of the season! He is the young, brash new point guard that is here to stay and if he can match or improve upon last year’s nightly line of 19 points and 6.5 assists then the Blazers could be on their way to the playoffs.
Wesley Matthews (Starting SG) – The shooting guard position is Wes’ for now, but don’t be surprised if C.J. McCollum starts to take some minutes as the season goes on. Wes is the defensive stopper that every team needs and he also provides above average outside shooting (39.8 percent from deep last year) to help space the floor for Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge.
Nicolas Batum is coming off the best season of his career and he will once again be an integral part of the Trail Blazers starting five. (Photo Credit/Flickr.com)
Nicolas Batum (Starting SF) – So versatile — yet still leaving us yearning for more out of him — Batum really needs to step up and solidify his position as the third scoring option on this team. Still only 24 years old, Batum has time to improve and to be fair, he did post career highs across the board last year with 14.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per night. With a big contract comes big expectations and now he has both — here’s to predicting he lives up to both.
LaMarcus Aldridge (Starting PF) – Finally, LA is going to get to play his given position at the power forward spot. He had to be thrust into the center position the last couple of years because of injuries and undersized bigs on the roster. Aldridge is the unquestioned leader of this team moving forward and the franchise’s success rests on his broad shoulders.
Meyers Leonard (Backup C) – Leonard is going to have opportunities to show his off season improvement this year. Robin Lopez is the starter, but last season only averaged just less than 27 minutes per game, so that leaves 20 to 21 minutes a night for Leonard to step in.
Will Barton (Third String SG/SF) – Barton had some breakout performances last year when he got opportunities due to injury, but it will be tough for him to get in the regular rotation this season. The added depth could hurt his emergence, but he has shown that given minutes he will perform at a high level.
Joel Freeland (Third String PF/C) – Expect Freeland to get about nine minutes per night like he did last season (maybe even less depending on the emergence of Leonard and Thomas Robinson) and when he gets his time he is basically a big body to spell the regulars.
Victor Claver (Third String SF) – Claver appeared in 49 games last season and actually started 16 games as well. This shows the injury and depth issues the Blazers had last year — those issues are gone, so Claver will probably see a reduction in time this season.
NEWLY ACQUIRED PLAYERS:
Robin Lopez (Starting C – Acquired via trade) – This might have been the most understated move of the off season for general manager Neil Olshey and the Blazers. Bringing in a legitimate 7-goot center to solidify the back-end defense and not having to part with a lot of assets (rights to two foreign players and two second-round picks) to get him is even better. Even more important for this oft-injured Blazers squad — Lopez played and started in all 82 games last season for the New Orleans Hornets.
Thomas Robinson (Backup PF – Acquired via trade) – What a steal for Olshey here! The No. 5 overall pick in the draft is finally on a team where he feels wanted. He will get his chance to show both the Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets what they are missing and his play will be key as the main backup for Aldridge.
Mo Williams will provide the scoring punch off the bench the Blazers have sorely needed. (NBA.com photo)
Mo Williams (Backup PG – Acquired via free agency) – Last season as a starter for the Utah Jazz (in 46 games) Mo posted 12.9 points and 6.2 assists in what may have been his last stint as a starter in this league. However, he has proven to be very effective off the bench as well — two seasons ago for the Los Angeles Clippers, Mo played 28 minutes per night and put up a little more than 13 points a night. That is exactly what the Blazers need out of him as they averaged a paltry 17.3 points per game from the entire bench last season.
Dorell Wright (Backup SF – Acquired via free agency) – Wright provides even more firepower from outside off the bench for Rip City. His percentages aren’t elite by any means (career 36.7 percent from deep), but the threat of his shot cannot be understated as defenders will be forced to guard him and provide less help. He should vie for 20 to 25 minutes depending on the play of Batum.
Earl Watson (Third String PG – Acquired via free agency) – Watson is that guy you see one night in the NBA and you think to yourself, “He still plays?!” The answer is yes, people — however, he is not as effective as he used to be and if the time comes where Watson is playing big minutes this season, it won’t be a good thing.
C.J. McCollum (Backup SG – 10th pick in draft) – McCollum is a bit of a wild card as many see him as a point guard in the NBA and not a shooting guard, because of his height at only 6’3″. However, the Blazers will use him to spell Matthews at the shooting guard spot because of his shooting ability — last year in only 12 games at Lehigh, C.J. shot a blistering 51.6 percent from deep.
Allen Crabbe (Third String SG – 31st pick in draft) – Crabbe provides scoring and shooting — if I sound like a broken record it’s because Olshey made sure he added a lot of scoring and shooting this offseason. Crabbe probably won’t see many minutes in his rookie season, but was an elite scorer in college and could develop into an impact guy down the road.
CAMP INVITES:
Dee Bost (PG, 6’3) – Bost was a four-year starter at Mississippi State, averaging 13.4 points and 5.2 assists. After going undrafted last year, he played overseas for a team in Montenegro and averaged 8.3 points in 21.5 minutes a game. Bost will most likely be playing in the D-League when camp is over.
Richard Howell (PF, 6’8) – Howell posted 12.7 points and 10.9 rebounds last year at North Carolina State as a senior, but went undrafted. The Blazers signed him to a non-guaranteed deal and he will most likely end up in the D-League as well — barring an injury in camp of course.
E.J. Singler (SF, 6’6) – Singler is the brother of Kyle Singler, who plays for the Detroit Pistons. He put up 11.7 points and 4.9 rebounds in his senior season at Oregon. He will have trouble making the 15-man roster, but again could be stashed in the D-League to improve.
*All stats and figures via www.basketball-reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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