Game Thread 2023-24 Game #2 - BLAZERS VS MAGIC - OCTOBER 27, 2023 - FRIDAY - 7:00 PM PST - ROOT

The Blazers will have their hands full with Banchero/Wagner, but should have better success against the backcourt as the Magic don't have near the size that the Clippers did.

I expect to see more attempts for Ayton and less jitters from Scoot.

 

there's another game tomorrow?
at least we don't have to watch Bones Hyland outplaying every Blazer not named Brogdon.

 

Suggs should make us patient about Scoot. He had a DIRE rookie year but is becoming a very solid NBA guard.

 

As has Fultz

 

Was looking through some other rebuilds throughout the league to see how long it takes to come back.

Detroit is staggering. They have appeared in 2 playoff series in the past 15 yrs and have not won a single game either time.

Orlando won two playoff games since Dwight left them in 2012.

Reading through the game thread last night, I think this fanbase is woefully unprepared to what is about to happen with our team. Don't know how long our rebuild can sustain without us making unfavorable moves to expedite the development. Just hope whatever we do in 2026 is not similar to trading for a broken Blake Griffin to win 2 more regular season games.

 

yeah, I think there are some unrealistic views among some fans on how long this rebuild will take, and how far away the team currently is from being competitive

Scoot has a lot talent but he's 19 and playing the most difficult position in the league. Sharpe is talented as well, but he's a long ways from being all-star level. The ceilings for both are miles above where they are right now. Brogdon is probably the best overall player, but I sure can't get a bead on whether or not he figures into the long term plan....or even if Portland has a long term plan

all things considered, I don't believe Ayton is a significant upgrade over Nurkic. And when Jermai Grant is far and away the best forward, a team has some issues. And Chauncey hasn't really showed any acumen as a coach

going to be a lot of nights like last night

 

Magic crushed the Rockets on the glass and in the paint. I don't think the Magic will just tee off all night from downtown. Unless the Blazers take an early lead and keep Orlando on their heels. Nervousness to get back in the game can turn into bricklaying.

 

We are home dogs (+2.5) to the Orlando Magic. Yeah, this is gonna be a long, tough season…

 

I realize it's going to be a long year, but it sure would be nice if they found a way to win the home opener. I remember losing the home opener (and Rose Garden opener) to the expansion Vancouver Grizzlies - and there are few things worse than an opening night loss at home.

 

Terrific quotes from Billups and Brogdon in the Quick article.

https://theathletic.com/5000898/202...l-blazers-clippers?source=user-shared-article

 

I dunno how i still have access. I got refunded cuz they autobilled me but lemme post some quotes:


Brogdon said his postgame plan this season is to not go over every play of the game with Henderson but rather present him with “themes.” The theme from the Clippers game would be how Henderson came off ball screens.

“For me, it’s picking out themes so it doesn’t feel like I’m bashing him on every play,” Brogdon said. “I don’t want him being a robot. I still want him to play aggressive, so I’m having them put together clips on ball screens.”

Brogdon said he felt Henderson’s decisions coming off screens were being made too quickly instead of surveying the defense and dictating the pace.

“He’s a little sped up,” Brogdon said. “I want him to be aggressive but take his time. I want him to find that balance. As a point guard, the floor is yours when you have the ball in your hands. So come off the ball screen, take your time and figure out what shot you want to shoot or what shot you want your teammates to shoot. You don’t have to rush. Don’t let the defense speed you up. And sometimes, the defense is speeding him up.”

Brogdon said he wants to be careful not to over-coach Henderson, noting Henderson has great natural instincts, and he doesn’t want to overreact to every mistake or off game.

“This is like any rookie. Victor Wembanyama is going to need some games to get into it,” Brogdon said. “It’s a learning curve. And tonight, we were going against a championship contender, not another Portland Trail Blazers trying to build young and all that. We were going against a great team.”

“(Matthew) Dellavedova was a great vet to me, but we were actually competing for the same spot,” Brogdon said. “Me and Scoot aren’t competing for the same spot. This is his; they have given him the keys. So I want him to be as good as he can, and I know if I’ve given him all the experience I’ve had, that’s going to help him and that learning curve.”

Brogdon said he hopes to begin having film sessions where he and Henderson study film of Chris Paul and other high-IQ point guards.

“Scoot has the athleticism, he has the skill, and he has the IQ,” Brogdon said. “He just has to get the feel and the pace of the NBA game. That’s what is going to develop next for him.”

 

chauncey:

For Billups, the criticism, the schooling, the poring over of Henderson’s mistake-filled debut could wait a day, until the sting of Wednesday’s season-open belly flop had subsided.

“I’m picking him up tonight,” Billups told The Athletic. “He’s going to have so many people hitting him tonight, saying ‘Man, what the hell was you doing?’ … I won’t be that person.”

“He’s a guy you can coach pretty hard; I already know that about him,” Billups said. “You can coach him hard, and you can be honest with him. So I will have to feel that out all year long — when to do what — and it will be fluid.”

“It will be like this sometimes this year, where I kind of have to step back and let it happen,” Billups said. “Because that’s how you learn. Experience is kind of the best teacher. I still remember some of my rookie games … you just remember those things.”

“First and foremost, I want to see what he saw, what he thought,” Billups said. “Sometimes what he saw and why he might feel he struggled is different than the way I see it. But I always want to allow them to tell me first.”

Then comes the tough love.

“Those film sessions won’t be fun,” Billups said. “They will be tough. Because you have to be honest with him but also be patient. The kid is … a kid. I will have to check myself and say ‘What if I played against the Clippers and all their great players when I was 19?’ What would that have looked like? It would have been ugly.”

 

brogdon states very unequivocally that "they have given him the keys."

We can put to rest any notion of Scoot coming off the bench.