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

Highlights

With this being Shabazz Napier’s best season, he came away with plenty of highlights.

Napier scored 20 or more points five times. His season-best was the 23 points he scored in a Dec. 28 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Napier started in place of an injured Damian Lillard, playing 34 minutes in his stead. He also spearheaded a fourth quarter comeback. His 15 points in the final frame helped Portland recover from a 14-point deficit and swing it into a 14-point victory.

Another impressive early season performance occurred when Napier went 5-for-5 from 3-point range in a Dec. 15 win over the Orlando Magic. He also added two assists, three steals and a block to his ledger.

Napier had another stat-stuffer of a game, albeit in a loss, against the Atlanta Hawks. He finished with 21 points, eight rebounds (season-high), six assists and two blocks in the 104-89 defeat on Dec. 30.

Napier isn’t the most explosive finisher in the league. However, he did manage to throw down one dunk in 2017-18. It came in the Blazers’ Jan. 20 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Lastly, Napier is capable of hitting a big shot. However, his biggest shot of the year didn’t even count! In Portland’s March 1 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Wolves guard Tyus Jones fouled Napier. Bazz heaved up a shot, looking to earn the and-1 opportunity. He made the basket, but it was negated since he attempted it several steps after the foul.