BLAZERS
Allen Crabbe. He's a smooth athlete who seems to be very gifted pulling up off the dribble and reading screens. He was 7-8 on field goals 20 feet or beyond, and made all 5 of his 3 point shots, with the exception of a 56-footer he took at the end the 2nd quarter. He is a great complementary piece alongside the shifty, powerful
Damian Lillard, who went 3-18 tonight from the field in 28 minutes.
Lillard can make his living on the drive against any defense, and the newly installed kick-out option of Crabbe enhances his effectiveness.
Photo by Sam Forencich
Tim Frazier. He played great defense and logged a couple of steals, most notably picking Steph Curry in the first half and taking it coast to coast for an assist to the hot shooting Crabbe. He came in the game for Lillard and
C.J. McCollum, logging 6 assists in 20 minutes. Frazier bolsters Portlands depth in a strong guard rotation.
C.J. McCollum. C.J. was aggressive throughout the game, seeing a game-high 28 minutes for the Blazers and scoring 19 points, just shy of a 50% clip. McCollum and Crabbe are young scorers who bookend Lillard's premiere offense. C.J. can create his own shot, and will be experimenting under Stotts as Portland's back up point guard. Look for him to take a bigger role this season as their primary 3rd guard. The Blazers went on a 11-3 while McCollum ran the point.
Portland's Bigs. They're long and physical.
Ed Davis had 7 rebounds in 10 minutes.
Meyers Leonard is a very mobile center, and should play well with their guards. Portland may have lost Aldridge, but they're certainly not lacking in their versatility and ability to fill up the lane. They did a good job gang rebounding, and kept the pace of the game in Portland's control. Stotts understands the strengths and weaknesses of this Blazers team, and used his assortment of size to capitalize the game plan and bruise the paint.