Portland Trail Blazers: 2016 Offseason Grades
Meyers Making Money
You get an extension! And you get an extension! AND YOU GET AN EXTENSION! Olshey was a regular Oprah Winfrey this summer, with Meyers Leonard’s four-year, $41 million deal being the next giveaway of Portland’s offseason.
Like Harkless, Leonard still has yet to prove himself as a starting-caliber player. Last year, he put up 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 21.9 minutes per game (all career highs), shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from three-point range but starting in only 10 of his 61 games.
Unlike Harkless, however, there was a lot more evidence to support the merit of this kind of signing.
Meyers Leonard shot an eFG% of 71% on open catch and shoot jump shots in the half court & 54% going one-on-one in the post.
— Synergy Basketball (@SynergySST) July 10, 2016
It wasn’t quite the C.J. McCollum-esque breakout season expected for the young stretch-4, especially after watching his mini-breakout in the playoffs the season before. He only has four years of NBA experience, but an early season injury derailed what seemed like Leonard’s inevitable starting job.
Having Leonard to bolster the bench is great, but like the vast majority of Portland’s signings this summer, the value of keeping an unproven player for around $10 million a year will largely depend on internal development.
Grade: C+
Next: Odds And Ends