The Blazers lost the swish3 contest against the Grizzlies and lost a game that shouldn't be a loss. Blazers made only 8 of 30 while the Grizzlies made 13 of 25 resulting in a deficit of 15 points, and scoring only 103 for a loss by 5 points. It is unbelievable to me that Blazer coaches did not play the leading swish3 scoring talent, who is still 4th in scoring among active Blazers, when the team was again struggling with FT3s and when Meyers was well rested and would be ready to contribute additional points and the win.
This Grizzlies loss was an example game for losing the 3 point contest and consequently the game. Even though Jusuf and Zach played well, the center position only contributed 15 points. CJ, Zach, and Wade scored efficiently with swish3s, but the Blazers really needed, and lost without, high percentage swish3 scoring that was frozen on the bench.
It is astounding to me that the Blazers failed to include the team's top percentage swish3 shooter in this game. With only 2 Meyers swish3s, this game could have been won. It is a vital characteristic of a championship team to recognize, value, and promote the talent, especially shooting power, in the team strategy in order to optimize wins and take the intensely contended steps to the championship. I hope that Blazer coaches will not repeat the mistake that they made tonight. This should have been a win.
The Blazers need more swish3 scoring, including 12 or more, optimally 15+ such power scores each game, and to get keep scoring 112+ (or 116+ against the Rockets) points per game. It makes sense to include available Blazer talent.