Chris Kaman & Steve Blake: Preseason evaluation
By David MacKay
Three games into the Portland Trail Blazers’ 2014 NBA preseason, the team’s newest additions have shown that they can work rather well in their given roles. Chris Kaman has been every bit the scorer we would like him to be, while Steve Blake has been every bit the facilitator. Neither has been perfect, but both have met expectations thus far. Here is a quick look at what they’ve been up to.
Oct 9, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Chris Kaman (35) shoots the ball over Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first quarter of the game at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Chris Kaman: More than his scoring (which I will get to shortly) I have been downright impressed with Kaman’s positioning in the low post; specifically, and somewhat surprisingly, on the defensive end. While he won’t be out-running or out-jumping anyone under 30 years old for the remainder of his career, he is smart enough to work around his physical limitations. Watching him subtly edge Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert away from the rim time and time again was a real treat. Not only did it neutralize Gobert as an offensive threat, it made rebounding over him comically effective at times.
On the offensive end, Kaman has been a bit of a juggernaut. This is the primary advantage of having a would-be starter coming off the bench. He just makes opposing bench players look foolish. Over the course of three games, Kaman has shot 58.3 percent and averaged 10 points. Given that he has averaged 18:18 minutes in these outings, his scoring averages per 36 minutes are nearly double that (19.7 points per 36). For some frame of reference, the only Trail Blazers to score at this rate last season were Damian Lillard (20.8 per 36) and LaMarcus Aldridge (23.1 per 36).
Consider this a stellar start from the big man. Will it hold in regular season competition? Probably not entirely, but remember that he was able to average a healthy 10.4 points in 18.9 minutes per game in Mike D’Antoni’s offense last season. If we are lucky, Kaman will keep the points rolling in, though perhaps less efficiently when things heat up.
Oct 9, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Steve Blake (25) drives to the basket during the first quarter of the game against the Utah Jazz at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Steve Blake: At 34 years old, Blake has lost half a step since he last donned the black and red, but he is still a skilled ball handler. He energetically weaves through defenders when he has an opening, and knows just where to find his teammates on the kickout when the defense collapses around him. This sort of tactic has led to better looks for youngsters C.J. McCollum and Will Barton, who have each capitalized from beyond the arc. Blake has averaged 5.3 assists per game (8.4 assists per 36 minutes). Mo Williams, who led the league in assists off the bench last year, averaged 4.3 assists per game (6.3 assists per 36 minutes) for the Trail Blazers.
Unfortunately, Blake has not experienced much success shooting the ball. Barely clinging to above 40.3 percent from the field over the course of his career, this will likely be a theme for him. He has shot an abysmal 3-14 (21.4 percent) in preseason up to now. Fortunately, he is expected to create more shots than he takes, and he does that just fine. The ugly misses we have seen from him so far have been balanced out by pretty dimes.
Blake has hustled well on defense too, even if the results are not eye-popping. He still fights through screens better than Lillard does (or Williams did) and harasses his man with the best of them. We may see him struggle when he encounters quicker opponents, but coming off the bench with fresh legs should help minimize this issue. Overall, good stuff from Blake.