Portland Trail Blazers: Meyers Leonard wants to bounce back from another bad season
Meyers Leonard had another rough season with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2016-17. What went wrong, and what is his outlook on the summer?
The Portland Trail Blazers doubled down on big man Meyers Leonard in the summer of 2016.
At that time, Portland signed Leonard to a four-year, $41 million contract. They chose to do so even after he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery the previous April. The team was likely hoping the then-24 year-old would bounce back and start developing into an effective player.
Unfortunately, 2016-17 turned out to be a rougher season for Meyers Leonard than the one before. He averaged 5.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 16.5 minutes per game in 74 appearances and 12 starts. All of those numbers were drop-offs from 2015-16.
In the advanced category, Basketball-Reference notes that Leonard produced his worst Player Efficiency Rating (8.9), Box Plus-Minus (-3.4), and Value Over Replacement Player (-0.5) numbers of his career. He also produced the second-fewest win shares (1.4) of his career.
His shooting percentages took a considerable hit, which is problematic for a stretch big. Leonard went a career-low 38.6 percent from the field for the season. He also shot 34.7 percent from beyond the arc. That’s his lowest mark since he began regularly shooting threes during the 2014-15 campaign.
Meyers Leonard also wasn’t completely clear of injuries in 2016-17. He fully recovered from the shoulder surgery by training camp, but was nagged by lower back soreness in preseason. That only caused him to sit out a few games.
But he ran into larger issues in March. Comcast SportsNet‘s Jason Quick reported that Leonard had been playing with two herniated discs and right hip pain for at least the previous six games. The revelation came at a time when his minutes had dipped into the single digits.
However, Leonard continued to play for the remainder of the year. He even logged 30-plus minutes in each of Portland’s final three games.
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Though he was hampered at times by injuries, Leonard did improve his game attendance in 2016-17. He was on the active roster for the entire season. This comes off of a year where he was inactive for 29 regular season and playoff games.
Even with his consistent presence, Leonard saw great volatility in the minutes head coach Terry Stotts allotted him. He started 12 games during the season, but was also DNP’d eight times.
Leonard played single-digit minutes 18 times, played minutes in the teens 40 times, and played minutes in the 20s on 23 occasions.
The fluctuation was partly due to Stotts forming lineups based off of matchups. Leonard usually saw big minutes in games that featured a top center. On paper, his 7’1″ frame can guard them inside. Meanwhile, his ability to shoot from the perimeter would take them out of their element defensively.
However, things didn’t always work out that way. Stotts couldn’t give Leonard extended minutes when matchups or injuries didn’t warrant it due to his inconsistent play.
Leonard had 12 games of double-digit point totals. His best was a season-high 17 points on 6-for-7 shooting in a 127-123 overtime win over the Boston Celtics.
However, he also had 15 games where he went scoreless. Those 15 include four starts and two other games where he played 10 minutes or more.
A season like Meyers Leonard’s 2016-17 can lead to a lot of introspection. He stated in his exit interview that he is happy that, unlike last year, he is healthy heading into the offseason:
"“I was talking to my wife last night, and as we kind of talked about the season and what the summer brings, I told her ‘this is probably the most excited I’ve been for the offseason since I’ve come to the NBA.’“I always get my work in and do certain things, but I really feel like there’s a lot I can improve on – and just getting out and playing. So, I’m excited for this offseason and working out and getting better.”"
Leonard will be training in Los Angeles and playing in as many open runs as possible.
Next: 2017 NBA Mock Draft: Post-Lottery edition
Following up a bad year with a worse one can be unnerving for a young player. But that was the case for Meyers Leonard. The spotlight will be on him again heading into next season, as he will fight to earn his place in the Blazers’ rotation. Leonard will have to maintain his drive, confidence, and health this summer in order to bounce back in 2017-18.