Everyone's opinion seems to be that we will only get marginally better next year because Evan Turner is only a marginal upgrade over Henderson. They forget to acknowledge that we had a very young team last year, and these guys got their first real playoff experience and also work their asses off.
Youth + Potential + Work Ethic + Experience = Improvement.
We finished the 2nd half of last season at a 55 win clip. While the schedule was softer the second part of the year, it's still a sign that we improved in the throughout the actual season. If we can improve that much (going from 11-21 and finishing 33-17) in the middle of the season, then we will most definitely see vast improvement out of not only Vonleh, but everyone on the team. Here's the improvements I see coming from all of our guys next year.
Damian Lillard
He has the tools to be a good defender, and I really think that having another ball handler in Turner to create and make things easier on him offensively will give him more energy on the defensive end. I think this is the year that he will become an average to above average defender. Coupled with a very slight uptick in efficiency on offense (45% FGs, 40% 3pt?) and he'd be a legit superstar.
CJ McCollum
He's only played consistent minutes for 1 season. The fact that people act like he's hit his ceiling at the age of 24 and only 1 year of consistent starter minutes is hilarious. Having Turner should also take some pressure off of CJ, which could result in better defense. As he becomes more and more comfortable in the league and playing with another ball handler for all minutes he's on the court could result in more open 3s and shots for him. An improvement on defense and any sort of uptick in efficiency and he's easily and all-star caliber player.
Moe Harkless
This ones easy for me. If he develops a consistent jumpshot (which he's already shown flashes of doing), then he would be one of the premier 3 and D guys in the NBA, that could play both the 3 and the 4 while also providing top level athleticism. Guys that can check all those boxes are very rare. He's shown he's a cable slasher and if teams have to respect his jumper, it will open up driving lanes for him and open up his entire offensive game.
Ed Davis
I think the biggest thing for Davis is to put on some weight so he can defend centers. Well, he's already rumored to be adding 15 pounds of muscle this off-season. Davis is already one of the most underrated big men in the league and adding 15 pounds of muscle only turns him into an even bigger beast.
Noah Vonleh
I don't have to say anything about him. He has the tools to be a great 2 way PF, he just needs to put the pieces together mentally. If he does, watch out.
Meyers Leonard
My guess is Meyers has spent a lot of time watching film this offseason focusing on defending the rim. He's improvements with his verticality but just seems to be caught in the wrong spots defensively. Watching a boatload of film while he recovers may be able to help him with that. I still believe he has potential as a low post player. He's strong, agile, and has great touch on his jumphook. His biggest problem has always been footwork and getting to his spots. He's still only 24, and the think that he's peaked as well is foolish.
Allen Crabbe
The potential he has defensively is tantalizing. He has flashes of lockdown defense and he's great at playing the passing lanes. The biggest thing for him is learning to not foul, which can be taught in the film room and in practice. He also has to guard to of the best offensive players in the league day in and day out, which gives him an advantage when developing into that true lockdown defender. His handles are so poor that there's no way he won't improve on them also. An improvement in ball control will make him a better offensive player, as he'll be able to read defenses and make the right play on his pump-fake one dribble pullup instead of always shooting the jumper or floater.
Evan Turner
He shot well from the 3 point at the end of last year, and if he makes an Aminu-like improvement from the 3 point line he will be better than Chandler Parsons. Players become better shooters when they play for Portland, so I think it's very possible to see his 3pt percentage to jump to around 35%. You take away Parsons jumpshot, and he doesn't have the handles or speed to do much offensively. You give Turner a 3 point shot that defenders have to guard him all the way out to the arc and he has the speed to beat them easily and make plays running downhill. As it his, he's a solid playmaker and scorer attacking guys waiting for him at the free throw line. A respectable 3pt shot would make him a better version of Nic Batum/Chander Parsons.
I do feel like Aminu and Plumlee are pretty maxed out. They need to improve more on shooting and finishing but those improvements I expect to be marginal at best. But the fact that all these guys have potential to make these improvements and are young guys with good work ethics and playing in a hard working culture leads me to believe that most of them will make these improvements. And if that's the case, there is no way we don't land HCA.
The fucking Timberwolves, Jazz, Grizzlies, Rockets or even the Thunder won't be better than.
For those assuming that some of these Western teams will have huge improvements and pass us up because they're young and room to develop, ya'll need to realize that we're in the same boat and have the same room for development, as well has having an advantage of who we have leading this team, the culture we've built, as well as the playoff experience we acquired last year.
