2023-24 Trail Blazers

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Would love to add KJ Martin to this bench mob and see what’s up with him.

https://www.peachtreehoops.com/plat...deo-athleticism-atlanta-hawks-high-school-img









He also apparently has blocks on Tacko and Kristaps, both clips I cannot find for some reason. But yeah, his athleticism is off the charts like his dad. Even in high school, Givony has said that KJ is very active on defense. Apparently his post defense is more refined than his perimeter defense according to some draft scouting reports from 2020, but I don’t see anything bad about his perimeter defense. This just tells me his post defense might just be pretty good.

Could be had for nothing…com’on Cronin.
 
Would love to add KJ Martin to this bench mob and see what’s up with him.

https://www.peachtreehoops.com/plat...deo-athleticism-atlanta-hawks-high-school-img









He also apparently has blocks on Tacko and Kristaps, both clips I cannot find for some reason. But yeah, his athleticism is off the charts like his dad. Even in high school, Givony has said that KJ is very active on defense. Apparently his post defense is more refined than his perimeter defense according to some draft scouting reports from 2020, but I don’t see anything bad about his perimeter defense. This just tells me his post defense might just be pretty good.

Could be had for nothing…com’on Cronin.

Around 36% his first two years on 2.8 3pa. That type of volume isn’t terrible. I really think his shooting can turn around. Prior to the growth spurt, he and Rupert are the same height. The different in their bodies is Rupert has a massive 7’3 wingspan compared to KJ’s 6’7 wingspan.

 
CBS mid seasson team ratings:
Portland Trail Blazers: C-
portland-trailblazers-2024-midseason-still.png

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  • Record: 12-30
  • The basics: 30th in offense, 23rd in defense, 28th in net rating (-9.6)
  • One notable stat: Portland's offense isn't just worse than any other offense this season, but is worse than any offense from the 2022-23 season despite the league-wide offensive rating being nearly one full point per 100 possession higher this season (115.7) than it was last season (114.8).
  • One reason for optimism: The Blazers are getting quality minutes out of several unheralded young players, including foreign league journeyman Duop Reath, former No. 57 overall pick Jabari Walker and No. 52 overall pick Toumani Camara.
  • One reason for pessimism: Scoot Henderson is on track to become the sixth rookie in NBA history to shoot below 37% from the field on at least 12 shots per game. The rest of that group isn't exactly encouraging. Throw out Zavier Simpson who only played four games and you have Reggie Williams, Emmanuel Mudiay, Dajuan Wagner and Kevin Knox.
The Blazers aren't judging themselves on wins and losses this season. It's all about the development of their young players. Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe are more or less growing as expected. There are pops of stardom out of them, but neither has proven ready to lead a team quite yet. More concerning has been Scoot Henderson's rookie year. We knew he wasn't going to make jumpers as a rookie, but it's borderline impossible for a player as athletic as he is to shoot 45.7% in the restricted area. To put that number in perspective, the next closest player at his volume is LaMelo Ball at 53%.

Inefficiency is the norm for rookies. The hope is that it's balanced out with the occasional explosion as proof of upside. Those haven't really come either. Henderson has scored 20 or more points just four times as a rookie, and he's shooting 38.5% in those games. He's barely getting to the line. Portland goes from a typical bad team when he's on the bench to worse than the Pistons when he's in the game from a net rating perspective. What does this mean for the long haul? It's hard to say. It doesn't exactly rule out future stardom. The NBA is hard for young point guards and this is a bad team not exactly situated to cultivate a player like him considering all of their other mouths it has to feed. But we've never seen such a rough start for a rookie that ultimately grew into a star. Henderson's development is the single most important element of Portland's season. It hasn't gone well thus far. Hopefully that changes down the stretch. -- Quinn
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...rks-for-knicks-and-thunder-three-teams-get-f/
 

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