In 2016-17 with the Portland Trail Blazers, Shabazz Napier played the fewest minutes of his career. But he showed his potential as an NBA point guard whenever he was called upon.
Shabazz Napier joined the Portland Trail Blazers on July 7, 2016 via a trade with the Orlando Magic for cash considerations. His arrival made the Blazers his third team in three seasons. So it’s likely that Napier hoped to have stability in Portland, intent on finally developing into his best self on the court.
From the beginning, it was known that Napier’s minutes would be tougher to get than at his previous stops. The Blazers featured Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, one of the league’s top backcourts and the two primary ball-handlers. But in a pinch, head coach Terry Stotts would also use forward Evan Turner as a third-string playmaker.
For this reason, Napier was only an occasional rotation player. He saw a number of DNP-CDs or would get minutes late in blowout losses. He was sometimes slotted in as the ninth man depending on who was injured.
However, when Napier was called into the game, he showed he was ready for the moment.
Napier finished 2016-17 with 53 games played, including two starts at the end of the year. He only averaged 9.7 minutes, 4.1 points, 1.3 assists and 1.2 rebounds per game, and his 512 total minutes played were the fewest of his career.
However, despite the smaller sample size, his standardized numbers show that this was Napier’s best year. He averaged 15.3 points, 4.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals per 36 minutes. All of those numbers are career-highs.
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Napier scored in double-figures seven times in 2016-17. His first impactful game came after the All-Star break, after he had already hit double digits three times prior.
On Feb. 23, the Blazers kicked off the post-All-Star-Break portion of their schedule by facing the Magic in Orlando. The team was down 55-46 at the half, and fell behind 68-55 with 7:44 remaining in the third quarter.
Following a Blazers timeout, Napier entered the game and stayed in until the final buzzer. He helped spur a 10-3 run right out of the timeout, and ended the night with a second half plus-minus of +22.
In the end, Portland defeated the Magic 112-103. Napier finished the night with 10 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals.
In the postgame interview, Damian Lillard credited Napier with kicking the team into gear after their sluggish start.
"“He did [inspire us]. You know, in the huddle before he got in the game, he was showing frustration and showing passion about what was going on because he’s a winner, he wants to win. And when he got on the court, he showed that. He impacted the game, and he for d— sure impacted me and woke me up. So I think he was the MVP of our game tonight.”"
Shabazz Napier emerged again in the final two games of the year. With the Blazers clinching a playoff spot, Napier was given two starts in place of a resting Lillard.
His first start came on April 10 against the San Antonio Spurs. He went off for a career-high 32 points in a thrilling 99-98 victory. Napier also added six rebounds, five assists and one crucial deflection to Noah Vonleh for the buzzer-beating layup.
Napier followed that with another strong performance. This time, he paced the Blazers with 25 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in a 103-100 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Over those two games, Napier shot 50 percent from the field, 53.8 percent from three and 85.7 percent from the line.
Napier also appeared in all four games of the Blazers’ first round series against the Golden State Warriors. However, those minutes mostly came during garbage time. He scored 10 points in Game 2 and came away with 14 points in Game 4.
Shabazz Napier will turn 26 years old in July, so there is still room for development. In the past, he has stated the advantage of learning the game behind talented guards like Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.
That advantage is reflected in his playing style on the court. Napier is able to facilitate the offense, as evidenced by those 4.7 assists per 36 minutes. But he also loves to create his own shot, as 75.0 percent of his 2016-17 shot attempts were either pull-ups or within 10 feet of the basket (layups, floaters, etc.).
Even with his growth, Napier doesn’t want to become complacent. He stated in his exit interview that he wasn’t “comfortable” with just being the third-string point guard, and is working to get even better.
"“I would be lying to you saying I’m comfortable with it, but I understand. It’s a difference between being comfortable with something and understanding it, and I understand why. I understand the reasoning behind it.“But me understanding – I’m never going to allow myself to be satisfied with it. In games I don’t play, I come over here and work out right after the game. Because I understand it, but I’m not satisfied where I’m at. And that’s the process. No one knows what’s going to happen in the future, so you have to put your best foot forward.”"
Napier is under contract for one more season. He is a great value at backup point guard, so he should be someone the Blazers look to keep heading into training camp. However, he has shown through his passion, confidence and abilities that he should be afforded more playing time that 9.7 minutes per game.
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While he didn’t get consistent rotation minutes, Shabazz Napier showed he has the tools to play in the NBA. We’ll see if he can hone them during the offseason, and if the Blazers organization can utilize him in ways that previous teams failed to.