Portland Trail Blazers: 2017-18 player grades for Shabazz Napier

Strengths

Shabazz Napier is a confident player. He knows he is in control and is ready to run the offense whenever he steps on the floor. This is the attitude that kept him pushing through his lack of playing time last season and allowed him to put up big numbers in multiple games this year.

Napier is capable of scoring in multiple ways, both on- and off-the-ball. He shot 37.6 percent from 3-point range in 2017-18, but also has the handles to beat someone off of the dribble and get to the bucket, averaging 7.7 drives per 36 minutes.

As a result, Napier served as a microwave scorer, coming away with multiple solid offensive performances. He shot 50 percent from the field on at least five attempts in 25 of his 74 games.

His ability to score and get to the basket keeps opponents honest, as he is capable of doing anything once he gets the ball. It also makes him dangerous in the drive-and-kick game. While he logged only 2.0 assists per game, Napier averaged 4.5 potential assists in 2018, according to NBA.com.