Game Thread 2025-26 GAME #2 - BLAZERS VS WARRIORS - FRIDAY - OCTOBER 24, 2025 - 7:00 PM - KUNP - BLAZERVISION

[UKRAINEFAN]

I honestly need to know what goes thru this person’s mind before pounding on his keyboard?

I think that, just like you, it takes a while to understand his quirkiness.

 

[1 Eye Jack]

I know a lot of people don’t like Sharpe taking some of these shots but I love it. Be confident even when the shots not falling, we all complained about him being passive in the past. We can’t have it both ways, be ok when he makes it and be upset when he misses. I’ll take aggressive Sharpe and live with the misses. Eventually his talent will shine through and those misses will be makes.

 

[theprunetang]

Of all the things I enjoyed in that game....the absolute smothering, no let-up effort that not only wore the aging Warriors down, it wore the referees referendum down. In the end....both were gassed, and waived the white flag.

Farking sweet!!!

My favorite aspect of the game is that we shot 50/40/90. AS A TEAM.

 

[1 Eye Jack]

Ha, love how DC is getting chippy.

Dude dropping F bombs, love the competitive fire

 

[BassPlaya]

I know a lot of people don’t like Sharpe taking some of these shots but I love it. Be confident even when the shots not falling, we all complained about him being passive in the past. We can’t have it both ways, be ok when he makes it and be upset when he misses. I’ll take aggressive Sharpe and live with the misses. Eventually his talent will shine through and those misses will be makes.

I was frustrated at the shots he took that were not in flow. He did, however, give it up defensively even when the shots were not falling. That, is the difference for me.

 

[1 Eye Jack]

Question can we play aggressive 94’ defense all year? That’s a lot to ask over 82 games

 

[julius]

I know a lot of people don’t like Sharpe taking some of these shots but I love it. Be confident even when the shots not falling

On the post game show (the one with Joe "don't call me Anfernee" Simons and Danforth Marang) suggested his legs are the issue, due to the (new to him) effort he's putting in on both ends.

Doesn't mean his 3 point shooting will be great, but that it might explain why his shots look to be very flat

 

[wizenheimer]

for years, under Olshey, the Blazer weakness was at wing. Minor talent and too often undersized. Norm Powell started 66 games at SF for Portland for chrissakes. Now, Portland's strength is at wing: Avdija-Camara-Sharpe-Grant-Thybulle; even Murray can slide into a wing role. All this when they are running Jrue and Wesley at PG. Non-stop length and tenacity and disruption welded to high tempo. It's what a lot of us have been calling for for years. Very entertaining

can't overreact to one game, at home, when the Blazers shot lights out and the other team was old on the 2nd night of a B2B. Got to remember that

now, I think there's a chance Dundon will replace Cronin as GM. New owners often clean house in the front office, and there's the Billups stain hanging over that front office. But Cronin did assemble that lengthy wing-dominant roster. He's got that going for him. Also, he'd probably win at Survivor

* in two games, Grant has scored 51 points on 24 shots; an .822 TS%; a 26.4PER; a 67% FT Rate; a .285 winshare/48 and +6.7 BPM. Team MVP so far. I am extremely relieved that Simons and Ayton are gone but Grant has never really bugged me much. His contract has, but he's certainly earning it this year compared to last season. Obviously, his stats are unsustainable, but if he can, as a 6th man, match what he did in his first 2 seasons as a Blazer, I'm fine with keeping him

* I know it's a fictional creature, but a healthy Timelord sure would make this team something different. A 2nd unit of Grant-Thybulle-Wesley-Murray-Timelord might dominate. And of course there's the potential of replacing Wesley with Scoot. Obviously, no all-NBA option on the roster, but they'd have nearly everything else except shooting, most nights

 

[PCmor7]

I'm such a fan of this style of play. When I was an assistant coach, I advocated for versions of this. When I was a head coach, we did this. When my former players became coaches and asked me for advice, I encouraged them to do this.

There just are so many advantages.

-- You are imposing a tempo at which you are used to playing but your opponent usually is not. It's like the old days of vinyl records. A record that sounds perfect at 33 1/3 sounds awful at 78. Eventually you break the record, the player or both. It's hard to play at this pace if you are used to playing at one that's more controlled.
-- It's very empowering. Making the other guy play your style feels like a win in and of itself. It makes you more confident.
-- Three or four of your players only have to play 18 seconds of halfcourt defense, because you've made the other team burn 6 or 7 seconds just getting the ball past the timeline.
-- It's a natural style. You don't have time to think. You have to react. Solid fundamentals are rewarded in man-to-man defense or ballhandling. If you like playing basketball, it's an easy way to play.
-- The other team might get open shots, but they aren't going to get them where they're used to taking them. Most pro players are used to practicing getting to a certain spot on the floor where they make almost everything. If you get them off that spot, even the best are somewhat mortal. Just shoot 17 footers from around the elbow vs. on the baseline, and you'll see it's a very different shot.
-- Constantly attacking makes you feel stronger.
-- Players get tired, so it makes them less likely to worry about minutes and improves the playing rotation, camaraderie and depth. They might play 26 and feel they played 30-31 because ....
-- There are a lot more possessions. It takes the pressure off missing a shot because you know you're going to have more chances to make up for that, or you're going to have a chance to make up for it on the defensive end.
-- If you have better athletes rather than better basketball players, it gives you more chances for that athleticism to manifest itself.
-- You get more shots per game because you're going to get steals and you're going to get offensive rebounds.
-- The other team is forced to box out every possession, which puts it on its heels and makes it passive and less likely to break out in transition, because the players have no idea where a defender might be flying in from. The team employing this style is coming from all kinds of unorthodox angles and timing.
-- Attrition. The other team, which is used to playing more deliberatively and with a tighter rotation, wears down. Often, that is going to result in them coming up short on shots later in the game or being just a little bit slower playing defense.
-- There's a good chance you're going to get players on the other team in foul trouble because of the additional possessions, the unfamiliarity of responsibilities on either side of the floor and fatigue, so you'll also get more free throws most of the time, if you can make them.
-- As the other team gets tired, you'll get more layups, either from tired passes being stolen and taken the other way or the other team just being unable to process what they have to do defensively when they're physically tired.
-- You don't get overcoached. Players feel agency and ownership.

It's all about being comfortable and making your opponent uncomfortable, which is what I think the Blazers have called it, making the other team uncomfortable in every way. I called it controlled chaos. One of my former players even put that on the team's shooting shirts the one year, complete with a graphic of a tornado in team colors sending a bunch of players from the other team flying around in all directions. Pretty cool. One of my favorite shirts.

 

[Phatguysrule]

Next time Sharpe jacks up a 3 and misses -- he needs to be benched and told he needs to drive more -- period

BS. Have no conscience. Encourage him to take those shots. You want confident players.

 

[THE HCP]

Anyone old enough to remember the Payton/Kemp Sonics in their heyday? This team seems a bit like that.

E……A……S……Y……

 

[THE HCP]

I think that, just like you, it takes a while to understand his quirkiness.

But he is serious.

 

[wizenheimer]

BS. Have no conscience. Encourage him to take those shots. You want confident players.

he's shot 950 three's in his career and his conversion rate is under 33%. That's a situation when confidence should not be that high. Can't allow unjustified confidence to overwhelm good judgement and smart shot selection

DeMar DeRozan is a 6-time all-star and a 3-time All-NBA selection and his career 3pt attempt rate is 10.6%. Sharpe's rate is 42.8%

on the other hand, DeRozan's career 2ptFG% is 48.9% and his career at-the-rim conversion rate is 66.6%. Meanwhile, Sharpe's career 2ptFG% is 53.3% and his career conversion rate at the rime is 69.7%. Sharpe is even better at the things DeRozan is known for than DeRozan is. Sharpe should be doing more of it, and chucking three's is the opposite of what Sharpe should be doing

 

[Phatguysrule]

he's shot 950 three's in his career and his conversion rate is under 33%. That's a situation when confidence should not be that high. Can't allow unjustified confidence to overwhelm good judgement and smart shot selection

DeMar DeRozan is a 6-time all-star and a 3-time All-NBA selection and his career 3pt attempt rate is 10.6%. Sharpe's rate is 42.8%

on the other hand, DeRozan's career 2ptFG% is 48.9% and his career at-the-rim conversion rate is 66.6%. Meanwhile, Sharpe's career 2ptFG% is 53.3% and his career conversion rate at the rime is 69.7%. Sharpe is even better at the things DeRozan is known for than DeRozan is. Sharpe should be doing more of it, and chucking three's is the opposite of what Sharpe should be doing

33% from 3 is about the same as 53% from 2. Except you get better floor spacing on 3s.

He should be taking every open 3. And, frankly, I would expect that percentage to improve with better offensive coaching and better offensive system.

*Edit* I absolutely believe coaching is part of our problem offensively.

 

[wizenheimer]

33% from 3 is about the same as 53% from 2. Except you get better floor spacing on 3s.

33% from 3 is about the same as 53% from 2. Except you get better floor spacing on 3s.

He should be taking every open 3. And, frankly, I would expect that percentage to improve with better offensive coaching and better offensive system.

I can't agree with that, at all

to start with, you're using an eFG formula that completely discounts the impact of FT Rate and FT's. Just trying a 3 vs 2 math equation doesn't reflect reality

as far as your confidence his conversion rate will improve:

2022-23	.360
2023-24	.333
2024-25	.311
2025-26	.267

that's not a trend-line that inspires any confidence in the 'more-he-shoots-the-better-he'll-get' theory. I'm not buying it at this point

 

[Everything Beagle]

I'm such a fan of this style of play. When I was an assistant coach, I advocated for versions of this. When I was a head coach, we did this. When my former players became coaches and asked me for advice, I encouraged them to do this.

There just are so many advantages.

-- You are imposing a tempo at which you are used to playing but your opponent usually is not. It's like the old days of vinyl records. A record that sounds perfect at 33 1/3 sounds awful at 78. Eventually you break the record, the player or both. It's hard to play at this pace if you are used to playing at one that's more controlled.
-- It's very empowering. Making the other guy play your style feels like a win in and of itself. It makes you more confident.
-- Three or four of your players only have to play 18 seconds of halfcourt defense, because you've made the other team burn 6 or 7 seconds just getting the ball past the timeline.
-- It's a natural style. You don't have time to think. You have to react. Solid fundamentals are rewarded in man-to-man defense or ballhandling. If you like playing basketball, it's an easy way to play.
-- The other team might get open shots, but they aren't going to get them where they're used to taking them. Most pro players are used to practicing getting to a certain spot on the floor where they make almost everything. If you get them off that spot, even the best are somewhat mortal. Just shoot 17 footers from around the elbow vs. on the baseline, and you'll see it's a very different shot.
-- Constantly attacking makes you feel stronger.
-- Players get tired, so it makes them less likely to worry about minutes and improves the playing rotation, camaraderie and depth. They might play 26 and feel they played 30-31 because ....
-- There are a lot more possessions. It takes the pressure off missing a shot because you know you're going to have more chances to make up for that, or you're going to have a chance to make up for it on the defensive end.
-- If you have better athletes rather than better basketball players, it gives you more chances for that athleticism to manifest itself.
-- You get more shots per game because you're going to get steals and you're going to get offensive rebounds.
-- The other team is forced to box out every possession, which puts it on its heels and makes it passive and less likely to break out in transition, because the players have no idea where a defender might be flying in from. The team employing this style is coming from all kinds of unorthodox angles and timing.
-- Attrition. The other team, which is used to playing more deliberatively and with a tighter rotation, wears down. Often, that is going to result in them coming up short on shots later in the game or being just a little bit slower playing defense.
-- There's a good chance you're going to get players on the other team in foul trouble because of the additional possessions, the unfamiliarity of responsibilities on either side of the floor and fatigue, so you'll also get more free throws most of the time, if you can make them.
-- As the other team gets tired, you'll get more layups, either from tired passes being stolen and taken the other way or the other team just being unable to process what they have to do defensively when they're physically tired.
-- You don't get overcoached. Players feel agency and ownership.

It's all about being comfortable and making your opponent uncomfortable, which is what I think the Blazers have called it, making the other team uncomfortable in every way. I called it controlled chaos. One of my former players even put that on the team's shooting shirts the one year, complete with a graphic of a tornado in team colors sending a bunch of players from the other team flying around in all directions. Pretty cool. One of my favorite shirts.

And, it's perfect for younger teams in an "all ages" league like the NBA. Against tired or older opponents, eventually youth and that very simple "just do it again" mentality of your young team will win out. More possessions, less thinking, more doing, and if it doesn't work this time, just do it again next time. The relentlessness of the attack is demoralizing for more cerebral teams as they get more tired.

 

[Pinwheel1]

33% from 3 is about the same as 53% from 2. Except you get better floor spacing on 3s.

He should be taking every open 3. And, frankly, I would expect that percentage to improve with better offensive coaching and better offensive system.

I assume you mean within reason. I mean, he is always open from say 30 ft, and you don't want him taking those. Personally, I think the reason his 3pt % was down last season is because he took more 3s off the dribble than in the previous years. I think with this offense, he will not need to force as many (except maybe at the end of the shot clock). I don't mind him taking every open 3, but I would prefer that his feet are set first. 90%of the NBA players should not be sprinting down the court and shooting 3s off the dribble. (One or two dribbles is fine, of course)

 

[UncleCliffy'sDaddy]

BS. Have no conscience. Encourage him to take those shots. You want confident players.

I feel like I will be crucified by some of the some of the self anointed experts, but Sharpe's shot form (at least to me) looks janky as shit this year. Both games his mechanics just looked funky and the results show it. A couple of shots hardly had any arc to them. It's like he's lost or changed his form. Whatever, it just looks like he needs to get back to basics, shot wise......but then, I came of age in the era of the set shot.......

 

[illmatic99]

BS. Have no conscience. Encourage him to take those shots. You want confident players.

Agree for most part but his shot selection has to improve.

 

[Phatguysrule]

I feel like I will be crucified by some of the some of the self anointed experts, but Sharpe's shot form (at least to me) looks janky as shit this year. Both games his mechanics just looked funky and the results show it. A couple of shots hardly had any arc to them. It's like he's lost or changed his form. Whatever, it just looks like he needs to get back to basics, shot wise......but then, I came of age in the era of the set shot.......

That sounds like lack of guidance from a quality offensive coaching staff, IMO.

 

[Phatguysrule]

I assume you mean within reason. I mean, he is always open from say 30 ft, and you don't want him taking those. Personally, I think the reason his 3pt % was down last season is because he took more 3s off the dribble than in the previous years. I think with this offense, he will not need to force as many (except maybe at the end of the shot clock). I don't mind him taking every open 3, but I would prefer that his feet are set first. 90%of the NBA players should not be sprinting down the court and shooting 3s off the dribble. (One or two dribbles is fine, of course)

Yeah, every open 3 that is in that 33% range (or where he's getting reps) he should be encouraged to shoot. If he needs to work on his form the coaches should fix that. As long as he is getting the quality, intentional reps from those spots he should be encouraged to keep shooting them and he will shoot a high enough percentage that it will be beneficial to the team.

If he refuses to get enough quality, intentional reps then he shouldn't be here very long.

 

[Phatguysrule]

I can't agree with that, at all

to start with, you're using an eFG formula that completely discounts the impact of FT Rate and FT's. Just trying a 3 vs 2 math equation doesn't reflect reality

as far as your confidence his conversion rate will improve:

2022-23	.360
2023-24	.333
2024-25	.311
2025-26	.267

that's not a trend-line that inspires any confidence in the 'more-he-shoots-the-better-he'll-get' theory. I'm not buying it at this point

That trend line is exactly why I blame coaching.

 

[Phatguysrule]

I'm such a fan of this style of play. When I was an assistant coach, I advocated for versions of this. When I was a head coach, we did this. When my former players became coaches and asked me for advice, I encouraged them to do this.

There just are so many advantages.

-- You are imposing a tempo at which you are used to playing but your opponent usually is not. It's like the old days of vinyl records. A record that sounds perfect at 33 1/3 sounds awful at 78. Eventually you break the record, the player or both. It's hard to play at this pace if you are used to playing at one that's more controlled.
-- It's very empowering. Making the other guy play your style feels like a win in and of itself. It makes you more confident.
-- Three or four of your players only have to play 18 seconds of halfcourt defense, because you've made the other team burn 6 or 7 seconds just getting the ball past the timeline.
-- It's a natural style. You don't have time to think. You have to react. Solid fundamentals are rewarded in man-to-man defense or ballhandling. If you like playing basketball, it's an easy way to play.
-- The other team might get open shots, but they aren't going to get them where they're used to taking them. Most pro players are used to practicing getting to a certain spot on the floor where they make almost everything. If you get them off that spot, even the best are somewhat mortal. Just shoot 17 footers from around the elbow vs. on the baseline, and you'll see it's a very different shot.
-- Constantly attacking makes you feel stronger.
-- Players get tired, so it makes them less likely to worry about minutes and improves the playing rotation, camaraderie and depth. They might play 26 and feel they played 30-31 because ....
-- There are a lot more possessions. It takes the pressure off missing a shot because you know you're going to have more chances to make up for that, or you're going to have a chance to make up for it on the defensive end.
-- If you have better athletes rather than better basketball players, it gives you more chances for that athleticism to manifest itself.
-- You get more shots per game because you're going to get steals and you're going to get offensive rebounds.
-- The other team is forced to box out every possession, which puts it on its heels and makes it passive and less likely to break out in transition, because the players have no idea where a defender might be flying in from. The team employing this style is coming from all kinds of unorthodox angles and timing.
-- Attrition. The other team, which is used to playing more deliberatively and with a tighter rotation, wears down. Often, that is going to result in them coming up short on shots later in the game or being just a little bit slower playing defense.
-- There's a good chance you're going to get players on the other team in foul trouble because of the additional possessions, the unfamiliarity of responsibilities on either side of the floor and fatigue, so you'll also get more free throws most of the time, if you can make them.
-- As the other team gets tired, you'll get more layups, either from tired passes being stolen and taken the other way or the other team just being unable to process what they have to do defensively when they're physically tired.
-- You don't get overcoached. Players feel agency and ownership.

It's all about being comfortable and making your opponent uncomfortable, which is what I think the Blazers have called it, making the other team uncomfortable in every way. I called it controlled chaos. One of my former players even put that on the team's shooting shirts the one year, complete with a graphic of a tornado in team colors sending a bunch of players from the other team flying around in all directions. Pretty cool. One of my favorite shirts.

100% agree. Great post!

 

[MrDraftGuy]

Some thoughts:

- Portland has done very well against two playoff caliber teams.

- Splitter's offense tremendously benefits bigger guards/wings/forwards like Jrue, Deni, and Grant. Kris Murray, too. Due to the tempo, they can play bully ball against opponents and due to their size and athleticism, it's hard to stop speed and power coming at you from multiple directions.

- In contrast, Sharpe's playstyle currently isn't suited for the current tempo. The thing about Splitter's offensive style is that you need to be a shooter if you're on the leaner end or lack size. It's very Spurs-oriented. Toumani can play this role, obviously, since he can shoot. But I think a Sharpe and Yang may struggle a bit, here.

- Additionally, I think Sharpe is still adjusting to being a two way player, of which, would require him to be far more conditioned than anyone else on the team except maybe Jrue. But because of the faster pace, it's going to be even more difficult and take longer for Sharpe to catch up than it would with a regular squad. In that sense, I think it would benefit Sharpe if he could find ways to slow it down a bit on offense and exploit gaps in the defense rather than force up shots. That requires taking the ball and thinking a bit so that when you get to your spot, you can adjust. An 18ppg scorer with decent FG% just doesn't disappear over night. It's just a process for him to adjust.

- Clingan looks solid and though it may not seem like it, he still has more potential we haven't seen. I've stated that he can become a Gobert with more offense and maybe slightly less defense. The three ball he's been showing is proof of that.

- Murray, same thing. Am happy his option got picked up. From what I understand, he does very well during practice and he is showing up here, under the current offense. I've iterrated that identical twins are genetically the same and therefore, he should match some form of Keegan Murray, at some point. With Keegan Murray appearing to be a 12-15ppg type guy who hustles on both ends, it's not unexpected to see Kris looking like he can be that player now. On a team like Portland, he's probably not going to get the minutes to be a 15ppg scorer but it's like the former coach recently said about there being 8 starters on this squad.

- On that last note, there's potential for this team to have 10 starter capable players. Teams will be forced to play a full NBA team, all 48 minutes. Basically, Portland has championship level depth on top of championship level defense. It's merely missing Sharpe returning back to 18-21ppg form and growing that into something more. Also missing Dame and Scoot.

 

[inconceivable]

I know a lot of people don’t like Sharpe taking some of these shots but I love it. Be confident even when the shots not falling, we all complained about him being passive in the past. We can’t have it both ways, be ok when he makes it and be upset when he misses. I’ll take aggressive Sharpe and live with the misses. Eventually his talent will shine through and those misses will be makes.

Yup, I'm fine with Shae being aggressive on offense.

 

[Chris Craig]

Sharpe needs to play off the ball on offense to get set when he's shooting threes. Otherwise he should attack the basket.

 

[1 Eye Jack]

I'm such a fan of this style of play. When I was an assistant coach, I advocated for versions of this. When I was a head coach, we did this. When my former players became coaches and asked me for advice, I encouraged them to do this.

There just are so many advantages.

-- You are imposing a tempo at which you are used to playing but your opponent usually is not. It's like the old days of vinyl records. A record that sounds perfect at 33 1/3 sounds awful at 78. Eventually you break the record, the player or both. It's hard to play at this pace if you are used to playing at one that's more controlled.
-- It's very empowering. Making the other guy play your style feels like a win in and of itself. It makes you more confident.
-- Three or four of your players only have to play 18 seconds of halfcourt defense, because you've made the other team burn 6 or 7 seconds just getting the ball past the timeline.
-- It's a natural style. You don't have time to think. You have to react. Solid fundamentals are rewarded in man-to-man defense or ballhandling. If you like playing basketball, it's an easy way to play.
-- The other team might get open shots, but they aren't going to get them where they're used to taking them. Most pro players are used to practicing getting to a certain spot on the floor where they make almost everything. If you get them off that spot, even the best are somewhat mortal. Just shoot 17 footers from around the elbow vs. on the baseline, and you'll see it's a very different shot.
-- Constantly attacking makes you feel stronger.
-- Players get tired, so it makes them less likely to worry about minutes and improves the playing rotation, camaraderie and depth. They might play 26 and feel they played 30-31 because ....
-- There are a lot more possessions. It takes the pressure off missing a shot because you know you're going to have more chances to make up for that, or you're going to have a chance to make up for it on the defensive end.
-- If you have better athletes rather than better basketball players, it gives you more chances for that athleticism to manifest itself.
-- You get more shots per game because you're going to get steals and you're going to get offensive rebounds.
-- The other team is forced to box out every possession, which puts it on its heels and makes it passive and less likely to break out in transition, because the players have no idea where a defender might be flying in from. The team employing this style is coming from all kinds of unorthodox angles and timing.
-- Attrition. The other team, which is used to playing more deliberatively and with a tighter rotation, wears down. Often, that is going to result in them coming up short on shots later in the game or being just a little bit slower playing defense.
-- There's a good chance you're going to get players on the other team in foul trouble because of the additional possessions, the unfamiliarity of responsibilities on either side of the floor and fatigue, so you'll also get more free throws most of the time, if you can make them.
-- As the other team gets tired, you'll get more layups, either from tired passes being stolen and taken the other way or the other team just being unable to process what they have to do defensively when they're physically tired.
-- You don't get overcoached. Players feel agency and ownership.

It's all about being comfortable and making your opponent uncomfortable, which is what I think the Blazers have called it, making the other team uncomfortable in every way. I called it controlled chaos. One of my former players even put that on the team's shooting shirts the one year, complete with a graphic of a tornado in team colors sending a bunch of players from the other team flying around in all directions. Pretty cool. One of my favorite shirts.

I agree last nights game was great example 4th quarter came along and even the vets on GS were making silly passing mistakes because they were tired. I still worry wether you can do this for a full 82 game schedule but will be fun to watch

 

[Quatro44]

for years, under Olshey, the Blazer weakness was at wing. Minor talent and too often undersized. Norm Powell started 66 games at SF for Portland for chrissakes. Now, Portland's strength is at wing: Avdija-Camara-Sharpe-Grant-Thybulle; even Murray can slide into a wing role. All this when they are running Jrue and Wesley at PG. Non-stop length and tenacity and disruption welded to high tempo. It's what a lot of us have been calling for for years. Very entertaining

can't overreact to one game, at home, when the Blazers shot lights out and the other team was old on the 2nd night of a B2B. Got to remember that

now, I think there's a chance Dundon will replace Cronin as GM. New owners often clean house in the front office, and there's the Billups stain hanging over that front office. But Cronin did assemble that lengthy wing-dominant roster. He's got that going for him. Also, he'd probably win at Survivor

* in two games, Grant has scored 51 points on 24 shots; an .822 TS%; a 26.4PER; a 67% FT Rate; a .285 winshare/48 and +6.7 BPM. Team MVP so far. I am extremely relieved that Simons and Ayton are gone but Grant has never really bugged me much. His contract has, but he's certainly earning it this year compared to last season. Obviously, his stats are unsustainable, but if he can, as a 6th man, match what he did in his first 2 seasons as a Blazer, I'm fine with keeping him

* I know it's a fictional creature, but a healthy Timelord sure would make this team something different. A 2nd unit of Grant-Thybulle-Wesley-Murray-Timelord might dominate. And of course there's the potential of replacing Wesley with Scoot. Obviously, no all-NBA option on the roster, but they'd have nearly everything else except shooting, most nights

Same thoughts I am having. Also it was nice seeing them run a team out of the building on a back to back. It’s seemed like every time prior we never took advantage of that fact and instead played like the tired team.

 

[Pinwheel1]

- In contrast, Sharpe's playstyle currently isn't suited for the current tempo. The thing about Splitter's offensive style is that you need to be a shooter if you're on the leaner end or lack size. It's very Spurs-oriented. Toumani can play this role, obviously, since he can shoot. But I think a Sharpe and Yang may struggle a bit, here.

This is the only part I disagree with. This fast-paced offense should benefit Shae as well. He has a good mid-range shot, and he certainly can finish on the break. He will get there.

 

[BlazerBeav]

I like the hustle Wesley has shown - but I have to think we improve when his minutes go to Scoot instead.