Breakout season for CJ and Leonard

[KingSpeed]

They really stepped up in playoffs and we played the best when they were on the court. We'll be ok.

 

[OSUBlazerfan]

If ok means 30 wins and the bottom of the western conference, i agree!

 

[Rastapopoulos]

No Blazers mentioned here.

(Dion Waiters!?)

 

[magnifier661]

I actually believe they should have break out seasons. It seems Leonard and Plumlee have really bonded, going to the beach together. It should be a bombtastic season!

 

[riverman]

Could be a breakout season for about 9 new players on the roster..I'm still hoping Crabbe becomes a factor as well.

 

[Strenuus]

I actually believe they should have break out seasons. It seems Leonard and Plumlee have really bonded, going to the beach together. It should be a bombtastic season!

"bonded."

amirite?

 

[Trackjack]

They had a very good post season that should bring them confident going into this season.

 

[mook]

No Blazers mentioned here.

(Dion Waiters!?)

That's really weird. I mean, we may be bad, but somehow we'll still put 93 points on the board just because that's what even bad NBA teams do. Lillard gets his 20-25, but that leaves at least 70 points for a group of guys who have mostly been young bench players to score. So that means SOMEBODY on this team has to step up and add some buckets. It's practically impossible that nobody breaks out on our team.

 

[HomerLovesKoolAid]

Not to stray from my usual luminescence, but I feel like both those guys could backslide without LMA attracting attention from the defense. My expectations are lower.

 

[Boob-No-More]

No Blazers mentioned here.

(Dion Waiters!?)

Yeah, I don't get the "logic" behind Waiters as a top 10 breakout candidate.

"My belief that Waiters is a viable breakout candidate is based fully on what the basketball spirits whisper to me in my fever dreams, not what the data says. (Because the data says he is one of the least productive players in the NBA.) Waiters is 23, he's been in a tough spot his entire career and he'll finally have a chance to live in the shadows under a healthy Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook."

How, exactly has Waiters "been in a tough spot his entire career"? He's been in the league 4 seasons, played over 6000 minutes in 211 games; 95 as a starter. He has been given the opportunity to start, but not relied upon as a No. 1 option. He was also given the chance to play the 6th man role, and failed there, too. If he was a poor fit and inefficient with LeBron and Kyrie as teammates, how exactly, is having "a chance to live in the shadows under a healthy Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook" going to cause him to have a breakout season and suddenly become an efficient scorer? The guy sucks and the author even admits the "the data says he is one of the least productive players in the NBA". The data doesn't lie. Waiters is what he is. IMHO he's one of the least likely players in the entire league to have a breakout season. If you look at his advanced stats, Wiaters has actually gotten worse since his rookie year.

By contrast, both Meyers Leonard and C.J. McCollum have both shown much more improvement with much less playing time.

BNM

 

[Boob-No-More]

Could be a breakout season for about 9 new players on the roster..I'm still hoping Crabbe becomes a factor as well.

With so many young players on our roster getting their first taste of big minutes, it's hard to imagine NONE of them having a breakout season. Seriously, if you include the "Other Candidates" section of that article, there are 33 players mentioned, that's more than one player per team., but not a single mention of any or our players.

My first instinct was to cry national media bias, but then I noticed this article is really a collection of quotes from articles/blobs by beat writers from the various teams. So, are our local guys asleep at the wheel? Why aren't they writing quotable articles out all of our potential breakout candidates?

BNM

 

[Pinwheel1]

Not to stray from my usual luminescence, but I feel like both those guys could backslide without LMA attracting attention from the defense. My expectations are lower.

You could very well be right on that, but playing devil's advocate..............they still played well in the 2nd group when LA was rarely on the floor. Except for a couple of games in the playoffs, Leonard came in for LA, so I am not so sure LMA is a factor for how Meyers plays.

As long as CJ has Leonard stretching the floor he should have enough room to work. But I agree if he is in with no other help, it could hurt his production. Although that is not really him backsliding, that is the team as a whole backsliding.

 

[BigGameDamian]

Not to stray from my usual luminescence, but I feel like both those guys could backslide without LMA attracting attention from the defense. My expectations are lower.

 

[riverman]

Not to stray from my usual luminescence, but I feel like both those guys could backslide without LMA attracting attention from the defense. My expectations are lower.

The pick and Plumlee may counter that problem

 

[blue9]

Well done, BGD. Well done.

 

[BBert]

Meyers Leonard > LaTex

 

[riverman]

We know that when you play Lamarcus, you just need to slap his thumbs on every possession and he'll start missing shots.

 

[blue9]

Meyers Leonard > LaTex

I actually believe this. If not this season, then by next season I think most people in here will also come to this POV.

 

[Strenuus]

I actually believe this. If not this season, then by next season I think most people in here will also come to this POV.

To me, I think you came to that view before Meyers was even a Blazer.

 

[blue9]

To me, I think you came to that view before Meyers was even a Blazer.

No, I was pretty down on him his rookie year. Although I still recall the first time I saw him snag a rebound and make a sweet outlet pass...that did give me some hope even during those bleak days. But at this point I will be very surprised if he isn't better than LMA before LMA's current contract expires. I think there's an outside shot that he'll be better THIS season than LMA ever was as a Blazer (I still don't know whether Pops can turn LMA into a great player or not, so I'm hesitant to compare Meyers to LMA as a Spur).

 

[Strenuus]

No, I was pretty down on him his rookie year. Although I still recall the first time I saw him snag a rebound and make a sweet outlet pass...that did give me some hope even during those bleak days. But at this point I will be very surprised if he isn't better than LMA before LMA's current contract expires. I think there's an outside shot that he'll be better THIS season than LMA ever was as a Blazer (I still don't know whether Pops can turn LMA into a great player or not, so I'm hesitant to compare Meyers to LMA as a Spur).

I was more referencing your "hatred" towards LMA than anything, but nonetheless, I liked the explanation!

 

[riverman]

Leonard and Connaughton are going to be the best passers on the team..both those guys can paint the corners with a ball

 

[Strenuus]

Leonard and Connaughton are going to be the best passers on the team..both those guys can paint the corners with a ball

I.... no, no, it's far too easy.

 

[blue9]

I was more referencing your "hatred" towards LMA than anything, but nonetheless, I liked the explanation!

Oh, I know! Just felt like expanding on my love for Meyers a bit more is all.

 

[Shooter]

No Blazers mentioned here.

Wow. You're not kidding. They don't even mention any Blazers among their 23 "Other Candidates." Maybe we're going to be worse than we think this year. On the other hand, you really have to wonder why McCallum isn't on that last. Anybody who watched his performance in the playoffs last year had to see that he's on the verge of becoming a very good NBA player.

 

[mook]

No, I was pretty down on him his rookie year. Although I still recall the first time I saw him snag a rebound and make a sweet outlet pass...that did give me some hope even during those bleak days. But at this point I will be very surprised if he isn't better than LMA before LMA's current contract expires. I think there's an outside shot that he'll be better THIS season than LMA ever was as a Blazer (I still don't know whether Pops can turn LMA into a great player or not, so I'm hesitant to compare Meyers to LMA as a Spur).

I doubt he reaches LMA's potential this year, but if you look at them at age 22, Meyers compares fairly well, at least if you look at the Per 36 numbers. Per 36 seems to me to be a fair comparison, given that when LMA was 22 he was given the starting job to replace Randolph's role. He got lots of shot opportunities and minutes, unlike Meyers.

Given his ludicrous shooting percentages last year, the physical specimen that Meyers presents (in terms of size/strength/athleticism) and the massive gaping hole Aldridge is leaving for him to fill, it seems really bizarre to me that basically nobody is giving him recognition as a potential breakout player this year.

No matter how bad we've been, you have to go back a long time to find a Blazers team without a pretty decent starting power forward. I don't see Meyers departing from that tradition this year.

 

[rasheedfan2005]

I doubt he reaches LMA's potential this year, but if you look at them at age 22, Meyers compares fairly well, at least if you look at the Per 36 numbers. Per 36 seems to me to be a fair comparison, given that when LMA was 22 he was given the starting job to replace Randolph's role. He got lots of shot opportunities and minutes, unlike Meyers.

Given his ludicrous shooting percentages last year, the physical specimen that Meyers presents (in terms of size/strength/athleticism) and the massive gaping hole Aldridge is leaving for him to fill, it seems really bizarre to me that basically nobody is giving him recognition as a potential breakout player this year.

No matter how bad we've been, you have to go back a long time to find a Blazers team without a pretty decent starting power forward. I don't see Meyers departing from that tradition this year.

those per 36 stats are impressive, he kills lamarsha on the boards and while not getting as many points is a far more efficient shooter. and he doesnt even demand a robin lopez to box out his man for him so he can get uncontested boards and pad his stats

 

[Strenuus]

Wow. You're not kidding. They don't even mention any Blazers among their 23 "Other Candidates." Maybe we're going to be worse than we think this year. On the other hand, you really have to wonder why McCallum isn't on that last. Anybody who watched his performance in the playoffs last year had to see that he's on the verge of becoming a very good NBA player.

The kings made the playoffs last year?

 

[Trackjack]

those per 36 stats are impressive, he kills lamarsha on the boards and while not getting as many points is a far more efficient shooter. and he doesnt even demand a robin lopez to box out his man for him so he can get uncontested boards and pad his stats

He definitely better on the boards than LA. If Myers get the minutes he will be double digit in rebounds I don't think he will match in points but who knows.

 

[blue9]

I doubt he reaches LMA's potential this year, but if you look at them at age 22, Meyers compares fairly well...

While I don't think he'll fill the role that LMA had (main option), I think it's likely that he will be a better player - even if it's a long-shot this season. By "better player" I mean that he'll do more for the team than LMA ever did. As you already noted, rebounding is one area in which he could/should be better. Others include setting screens, passing, help-defense, and being more efficient. I don't ever expect Meyers to be our #1 scoring option, but I do think he'll be a much better "big" than LMA ever was.