Noah Vonleh continued to improve with the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2016-17 season, but still has a ways to go before becoming a reliable starter.
Noah Vonleh was a raw prospect when he was selected No. 9 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. Now, after three years in the league, and as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers, he has slowly improved into a rotation-level big.
In 2016-17, the 21-year-old Vonleh averaged 4.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. His playing time was spotty in the Blazers’ first 44 games. Over that span, he played 36 games and started in four of them. He averaged 3.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per game.
On Jan. 20, 2016, Vonleh was slated to start against the Philadelphia 76ers. He came away with 10 points and five rebounds in a one-point loss.
Vonleh retained Portland’s starting power forward spot for 37 of the Blazers’ final 38 games, averaging 5.8 points and 6.8 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game. He also shot 53.9 percent from the field.
Vonleh had a season-high of 12 points five times in 2016-17. Those games were his most scored as a Blazer, but fell four points short of his career-high. However, he was able to establish a new career-high in rebounds. Vonleh grabbed 19 boards in the last game of season, a 103-100 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
The development Vonleh showed in 2016-17 really pleased the Blazers front office, including general manager Neil Olshey.
Neil Olshey says Noah Vonleh's development excited him the most of any player this season.
— Mike Richman (@mikegrich) April 25, 2017
Since his rookie year in Charlotte, Vonleh has seen a steady increase in almost all of his per game averages. The only exceptions are in three-point percentage, free throw percentage and blocks per game. But even with his improvements, Vonleh still has a way to go to become a starting-caliber big man.
Vonleh’s per 36 minutes numbers this season showed his limits. His 11.0 rebounds per 36 minutes are impressive. However, despite being 6’10”, he only came away with 0.8 blocks per 36. He knows how to use his length to rebound, but isn’t a solid rim protector just yet.
Also, he finished the year with a 10.8 Player Efficiency Rating and a -0.6 Value Over Replacement Player. Even though he started 41 of the 74 games he played, he could only deliver the team so much as a young big.
Vonleh’s presence in the starting lineup allowed Al-Farouq Aminu to serve as the team’s sixth man. However, Vonleh’s production as a starter currently has a ceiling. More development will allow him raise his level of play in due time, but if the Blazers intend to compete in the coming years, an upgrade will be necessary.
Noah Vonleh brings rebounding and energy, but the Blazers currently need more scoring and rim protection to aid Jusuf Nurkic in the frontcourt. If head coach Terry Stotts doesn’t feel there is anyone on the roster that can bring that, the team will need to bring in someone who can. Doing so would also give Vonleh someone to learn from; an idea of what they want him to become.
Better years seem to be ahead for Noah Vonleh, but at the moment, he’s still a raw prospect that’s working to improve. While he’s proven himself as a worthy rotation player, he hasn’t reached starting-caliber just yet.
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We’ll see if the Trail Blazers use the summer to find an upgrade (if they even can, considering their current cap situation), or choose to give Vonleh another chance in 2017-18.