Best Portland Trail Blazers Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee: Clyde Drexler
Despite the Hall of Fame-level status he currently possesses in the present day, Clyde Drexler was never guaranteed greatness at the NBA level. He averaged just 7.7 points per game as a rookie. It was as a sophomore where his career would finally take off as one of the best shooting guards of his time.
Drexler gets a lot of praise for his athleticism, and it’s well deserved. Nicknamed Clyde the Glide, he could float through the air for what seemed like improbable amounts of time and lay the ball softly into the rim without breaking a single sweat.
While his glides were majestical as he soared by opponents, his dunks were powerful and caught the bodies of any poor soul who stood in his way. The combination of grace and fury with the ball in Drexler’s hands made for a terrorizing matchup in transition few were ecstatic of trying to get in front of.
His reputation is that of a dunker, but Drexler’s game was far more diverse. He had a deadly midrange game that kept defenses on their toes. Despite his ball-dominant tendencies at times, he still found a way to put 5.7 assists to go along with 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game across 12 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Blazers wouldn’t miss the playoffs during any of Drexler’s seasons with the team, even making it to two NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992. His Finals averages of 25.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game were stellar, but superior competition ultimately kept him from bringing Portland a championship.
Drexler is one of the game’s greatest players, but residing in the shadow of Michael Jordan significantly hampered his reputation. Even considering the flaws his game may have had, one should still be able to appreciate his immense talent that got the Blazers far closer than anyone thought possible when he was coming out of college in 1983.