Game Thread 2024-25 GAME #75 - BLAZERS @ KNICKS - MAR 30, 2025 - SUN - 3:00 PM - CHARGE - BLAZERVISION

He can if you want to be mediocre at best.

 

What is he missing?

 

Sure he can. On a championship contender, though?

 

He's missing the ultra elite athleticism and size combo and/or ultra elite shooting that have been the hallmark of every guy who is the best player on a multiple championship team since Kareem was the best player in the league.

There are levels to this stuff. I do think Deni could be one of four or five guys on his level that are part of a multi championship roster but that's really hard to work out. Deni could also be a really good third man on a team with a superstar and someone a little better than Deni or he could be the second guy to a generational talent on a team that is contending year in and year out.

Shaedon has a better chance of being a multiple time all nba first teamer than Deni but Deni obviously has the higher floor. I do love Deni and I could see him making a couple of all star game appearances in his career. I think his ceiling is higher than let's say Jerami's but not in a different stratosphere.

 

there is always a push to proclaim future all-star status for a Blazer after a great month or great stretch. Deni has had a great March, averaging 23-10-5 over 13 games. He was kind of close to that in January averaging 18-8-4 in 13 games. But in the 11 games of February he only averaged 14-5-3. That's a huge variance

a big reason he's shining now is his 3 point shot. But I think we can all agree his 46% shooting on three's in March is not sustainable. In the 24 games of Jan-Feb he shot 31% on three's. If he just shot his average on three's he'd be at 21 points/game than 23

and while his 5.2 assists/game in March have been nice to see, his 3.6 turnovers/game have not. That's a 1.44 assist/turnover ratio which is not good for a secondary facilitator. He needs to clean that up by putting a throttle on his turbo mode, especially in half court sets

I'd agree he has a high ceiling and solid floor. I'm not sure his actual ceiling is 23-10-5. Maybe. But his season average of 16-7-4 may be a better gauge than his March. And those are hardly all-star numbers. It's also worth noting that he's doing this with Ayton, Timelord, and Grant in street-clothes. If they come back next season, along with Simons and Sharpe, it's pretty unlikely he'll get the minutes, shots, and usage to average 23 points and 5 assists

 

Deni looked rejuvenated after the all-star break. If he was physically worn down prior to it, that might explain the Feb drop-off which in turn explains the huge variance.

With his style of play, I have reservations as to whether he can be a consistent first option. I think he needs to share that role with someone equally impactful, so he can get some rest throughout the season.

 

Talent.

 

Maybe, if we had 4 others just like him starting next to him.

 

Here’s what I’m thinking about Deni.
First thing is Dame was an All Star. Pretty much generally considered one of if not the second best shooter in the league. Top 75 player. The team tried for years to build around him as a franchise player.

In my humble opinion Deni is not as good as Dame.

 

Dame's issue was never how good (great) he was, rather what pieces would fit around him. Deni seems a lot more flexible in that respect.

 

So you’re saying Damian Lillard wasn’t flexible? Not sure I agree with that notion.

 

He played at his own pace, didn't defend, and needed (IMO) to be surrounded by spot-up shooters who excel at the PnR but don't mind rarely getting the ball on the roll. He's a phenomenal offensive force, but has never shown the ability and/or willingness to adapt.

 

Am I reading this correctly? Are you and @kjironman1 discussing if Deni is an easier player to build a championship roster around as the number one option than Dame was???

 

Seems to be what the point he is making is. I can’t disagree with him on some of what he is saying but truthfully Dame never got the chance to have championship caliber players around him here and last year was cut short by injuries just like this year seems to be. The guy carried CJ Amino Harkless and Kanter with one arm to the WCFs. Not sure Deni could do that?

 

The part I find ridiculous is that Deni has such a limited sample size of being even at an all star level let alone a first team all nba level.

Sure Deni's skillset is far more versatile than Dame's but is he close elite in any of those areas in his skillset? I don't think he is and of course he still has room to grow but to me it's like asking if Lamar Odom was a better first option to try and build a championship roster around than Dame. The answer is clearly no because Odom and Deni are ideally third best players on championship teams and second best in a pinch, if you have the best player in the league as your number one guy.

 

I think Deni can be an All-Star but like with anyone else on the team, the scoring currently seems rather empty and dependent on good nights rather than a pattern of consistency.

With stars, you sort of have a few go-to moves that are dominant enough to lead to consistency. For example, Aldridge had a reliable mid-range, second chance scoring, and an elite post game while Dame had his shooting (logo, crunch time, pull up) and eventually, his finishing. Then, on off nights, they had other ways of contributing.

For Deni, turbo speed is fantastic but it's not an unstoppable move like it would've been for young Lebron. Maybe in the future, it might. Right now, it just lets him attack the rim. Obviously, he can contribute with defense, rebounding, and secondary playmaking.

Earlier in the season, I compared him to Lamar Odom and Hedo Turkoglu - guys who can do multiple things while scoring 17+ ppg. Those guys aren't ideal first or second options. They're ideal third or fourth options. Today's NBA has a demand for them, of course, so letting him go would be stupid. But until he ascends into the Paul George or Jimmy Butler territory - which is possible since he's under 25, these other comparisons aren't really stars.

Imo, adding a mid-range, which Deni has stated he wants to do, would make Deni a three level scorer and therefore, a star.

 

One thing you can say for Dame is he won the 2024 NBA Cup! But not as the #1. Doubt anyone remembers but he did. Bubble MVP too!

 

I was simply responding to the comment that Deni can't lead us to anything significant because Dame was better and he couldn't. That only holds true if both are equally easy to build around. It's a flawed premise.

 

That's fair enough. I just don't think that Deni is trending towards a guy who is an all star and all nba guy every season as long as he's healthy. Maybe I'm underestimating Deni and I hope I am because I like him and he's our player.

As far being easier to "build around" I don't know if that's true because like I said I see Deni ideally as a third best player or even fourth best on a long term contender and champion, so he's actually a player you put around the guy you build around. Dame was a first or second best that you could build around.

Now if your argument is that you could put way more superstars with a bunch of different skillsets around Deni and he could be good around all of them equally and the same can't be said about Dame, then I totally agree. Deni likely won't reach the same level of importance to any franchise that Dame had to ours but he already is and will continue to be far more versatile and well rounded than Dame.