Game Thread 2025-26 GAME #7 - BLAZERS VS LAKERS - MONDAY - NOVEMBER 3, 2025 - 7:00 PM - KUNP - BLAZERVISION (4 Viewers)

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Bad shooting but maybe a mistake by Tiago when the press isn’t working maybe go into a zone for a bit. Kind of goes against who we are but have to be able to adapt, I think zone would have made them try and run offensive set with a bunch of guys who haven’t played together much.

That said they shot lights out, unfortunately that happens sometimes.
 
More embarrassing than Ayton walking DC like a dog?

Allowing Bronny to quadruple his career high in assists :wook:
 
PCmor7 said:
I think once we all step back a bit, we're going to realize that this team is not built to compete yet, not in its present form and thinking it was isn't realistic, partly because of just how good the West is right now and partly because we're still a couple of pieces away.

The loss last night was sobering. It shouldn't have happened. But it also wasn't completely out of the question because the team was banged up and it doesn't have shooters or scorers.

There'll be games like this.
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Outstanding posts. It always comes down to expectations.
 
I think one other point needs to be made or else people are going to get upset everytime something like last night happens.

We have to stop thinking of Shaedon in terms of what he could be and start being realistic about what he is until he makes that next step (if he ever does).

Shaedon's played 191 games after last night. He's a scorer. Well, he's a high flyer, but his main asset it as a scorer. If he hadn't shown the ability to light it up from time to time, he's just an average player. He's averaging twice as many turnovers as assists this season as a two guard, which is completely unacceptable, and he's shooting 32.6% from 3 for his career and the only season he shot better than 33% was his rookie year.

Anyway, 191 games. He's scored 30 seven times. His career high is 37. Scoot's career high is 39.

Do you see teams putting their best defender on him? Do you see the Blazers working hard to get him the ball and a favorable match up when we need a bucket? Not consistently, no. And it's not the style we play ... I'd argue that this freewheeling style we use actually benefits him more than hinders him.

I wrote this somewhere else recently. Shaedon doesn't need to be a great defender. He doesn't even need to be a good defender. This team has plenty of good defenders right now who are adequate on offense. This isn't Dame playing with several other defensive-challenged players ... if Dame was the only defensive-challenged player on his teams, it would have been OK, but there were several and then there were a couple of guys who were net-negative offensive types who were only slightly above-average defenders. There are a lot of NBA stars that aren't special on defense but they can score so much that it doesn't matter, and they have other guys on their team that make up for their defensive deficiencies.

Scoring, though, is and always will be the most important ability. We actually played some really good defense last night. Not always, but most of the time. It didn't matter because Nick Smith was making shots despite that defense. Great offense is going to overcome good defense.

Shaedon needs to be a scorer for this team to be all it can be two years from now. But, at the very least, he needs to make open shots. He's not making open shots. He needs to be someone opposing defenses need to really build their gameplan around stopping, but they don't have to do that right now because he doesn't make shots.

When he makes open shots, then we can talk about how special he is as an offensive talent. Right now, he's still just potential.

That kind of goes back to something from my earlier post. I don't think this season was made to contend for a playoff spot as much as it was about establishing a culture and competing but even more so to find out who Shaedon and Scoot really are. Probably the best thing for this organization is to just miss the play-in but really be a team other teams hate to play, then add another good piece in the draft and hope Jrue still has something in the tank next year and Dame is able to be that shooter, even in more limited time than we're used to, that we lack this year so as to open the floor for our other guys.
 
SharpeScooterShooter said:
They looked tired. Unable to keep up the effort they have been playing at. Maybe starting to wear down a bit. Is not having extra fresh bodies due to injuries making guys play more minutes, and tiring them out more?
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I think Thybulle and Wesley were missed in a game like this.
Their energy off the bench could have made the difference between a win or a loss.
 
PCmor7 said:
I think one other point needs to be made or else people are going to get upset everytime something like last night happens.

We have to stop thinking of Shaedon in terms of what he could be and start being realistic about what he is until he makes that next step (if he ever does).

Shaedon's played 191 games after last night. He's a scorer. Well, he's a high flyer, but his main asset it as a scorer. If he hadn't shown the ability to light it up from time to time, he's just an average player. He's averaging twice as many turnovers as assists this season as a two guard, which is completely unacceptable, and he's shooting 32.6% from 3 for his career and the only season he shot better than 33% was his rookie year.

Anyway, 191 games. He's scored 30 seven times. His career high is 37. Scoot's career high is 39.

Do you see teams putting their best defender on him? Do you see the Blazers working hard to get him the ball and a favorable match up when we need a bucket? Not consistently, no. And it's not the style we play ... I'd argue that this freewheeling style we use actually benefits him more than hinders him.

I wrote this somewhere else recently. Shaedon doesn't need to be a great defender. He doesn't even need to be a good defender. This team has plenty of good defenders right now who are adequate on offense. This isn't Dame playing with several other defensive-challenged players ... if Dame was the only defensive-challenged player on his teams, it would have been OK, but there were several and then there were a couple of guys who were net-negative offensive types who were only slightly above-average defenders. There are a lot of NBA stars that aren't special on defense but they can score so much that it doesn't matter, and they have other guys on their team that make up for their defensive deficiencies.

Scoring, though, is and always will be the most important ability. We actually played some really good defense last night. Not always, but most of the time. It didn't matter because Nick Smith was making shots despite that defense. Great offense is going to overcome good defense.

Shaedon needs to be a scorer for this team to be all it can be two years from now. But, at the very least, he needs to make open shots. He's not making open shots. He needs to be someone opposing defenses need to really build their gameplan around stopping, but they don't have to do that right now because he doesn't make shots.

When he makes open shots, then we can talk about how special he is as an offensive talent. Right now, he's still just potential.

That kind of goes back to something from my earlier post. I don't think this season was made to contend for a playoff spot as much as it was about establishing a culture and competing but even more so to find out who Shaedon and Scoot really are. Probably the best thing for this organization is to just miss the play-in but really be a team other teams hate to play, then add another good piece in the draft and hope Jrue still has something in the tank next year and Dame is able to be that shooter, even in more limited time than we're used to, that we lack this year so as to open the floor for our other guys.
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So... would you trade Sharpe for RJ Barrett?
 
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