Game Thread 2023-24 GAME #79 - BLAZERS VS PELICANS - APRIL 9, 2024 - TUESDAY - 7:00 PM PST - ROOT

Pels up 20. Billups calls time to clear the bench of the bench

 

Rup3ert!

 

Hawkins rookie messed up the spread. He'll be getting calls from the pit boss

 

Maybe, but it's magnified with Scoot. First, because he's the future of the franchise. Second, because his highs and lows vary to a much greater degree (and he's had more lows than highs). Third, for 2.5 quarters he did a great job just letting the game come to him and was rewarded for doing so, then he seemed to go into this mode where he wanted to try to win it all himself on every possession, lost his cool, started rushing his shots and throwing bad passes and did a complete 180 in the course of a few minutes.

That might now be fair, but it's what happened.

 

silver lining is Blazers clinched at least 5th in lottery with tonight's result

the Spurs won and are only 1 game ahead of Portland for 4th. Too bad the Blazers had to beat Charlotte. If they would have lost, there'd be a 3 way tie right now for 3rd in the lottery. Can't have a half-assed tank when the stakes are that high

 

Scoot wasn't ever being forced to shoot, especially with them playing mostly a lazy zone. Scoot more or less gave into his baseline, which is trying to make highlights instead of just relaxing and making good plays. He's got plenty of years to make the highlights. Right now, he just has to understand how to play basketball.

 

If people can't see Scoot's all-star potential because of his passing, his athleticism and his attitude then I don't know what to tell you. Scoot needs to improve his left hand and overall finishing... I honestly think that's all Scoot should concern himself with besides just getting more reps. The crazy amount of turnovers are going to go away with experience, his defense has all nba potential with more experience, his shot and willingness to shoot are what is needed to set him up as a facilitator.

I honestly think Scoot will be a guy who leads the league in assists year in and year out, I think he'll average around 20ppg to set up the passing and his defense will be outstanding. I don't think he gets there next season but we'll see him getting closer to it. We need scorers like I think Shaedon can be. Our wings role players are promising with Tou, Kris, Rayan (who has a real upside) and Bari. I think Deandre can be dominant. I would love for us to get Sarr in the draft to play next to DA.

What we need most is to clear the runway for Scoot, Shaedon, Deandre and whoever else we bring in by sending Ant and Jerami elsewhere for some return value that fits. Fit isn't just important to be a winning team but it's also important when trying to develop a young team... I don't think either of those two fits short or long term.

 

the Pelicans adjusted. They mobbed DA and began anticipating Scoot's passes. Henderson's jumper decided to stay in the locker room. He missed his last 7 shots and tossed 4 balls to the wrong team. I hate it when coaches use winning strategies, especially against rookies.

 

We need to find a shooter like Brandon Miller to pair with Scoot.

 

He's not being forced to shoot, but the Pelicans were playing him as a scorer and he couldn't do anything. That's the limiting factor for Scoot. All the good things he does aren't going to translate into the consistency needed to achieve stardom unless he's able to put pressure on the defense as a scorer. That was his evaluation as a prospect - that he'd be able to provide constant rim pressure which would open up his passing game, and then if he could ever figure out his shot he'd be a multidimensional offensive centerpiece. Drive and kick should be his bread and butter but right now he's only good at drive and turnover or drive and airballs.

If we're looking at his play so far, I'm skeptical about his tools and foundation. His athleticism is.....above average for an NBA player at best? His finishing is beyond awful. His handle needs a ton of work. His shot is as advertised. It's hard for me to see him making that leap into true max player status - which is what I would consider to be a star. And even if it happens, I'd wager it happens much later in his career. Certainly much later than most would have predicted before the season. Comparing him to someone like even Shaedon is drastic, because the tools are so obviously there with Shaedon in a way that they aren't with Scoot.

I think there's a lot of good in there. I think a realistic ceiling is a high level game manager, maybe near all-star type player. A really good piece on a contending team. But I just have trouble seeing max contract star level player. And that makes the future look not so optimistic when before this season people were pegging Scoot as having franchise level potential.

 

Pelicans
+21 FTA
+10 steals
+15 fast break
+18 points off turnovers

New Orleans joins the list of teams that swept Portland. The ping pong broom might be close to double digits.

 

Zion didn't get a double double, decent work by Blazer bigs slowing down the Williamson buffet line.

 

Alvarado missed all 5 of his wide open 3 pointers. Blazer fans earn the credit, I heard at least 2 fans yell "off!" from the upper deck.

 

Who gives a fuck…..he just turned 20.

 

Yeah he played pretty good tonight. No need to nit pick.

 

Dame would score 45 with 11 assists and yet there'd be posters nit-picking about his defense or his turnovers or his deep three's

nitpicks-r-us

 

I was thinking last night, if we had a shooter like Murphy or Jones, we would have been right in that game.

 

Okay. You got me there. I'll be better.

 

Or maybe one like Simons or Grant or Sharpe?

 

3ptFG% this season:

Jones .416
Brogdon .412
Grant .402
Murphy .368