Trail Blazers confident in development amid injuries
By David MacKay
Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Terry Stotts surprised many by starting Allen Crabbe in place of Nicolas Batum (knee contusion) this past week. He surprised even more by replacing LaMarcus Aldridge (upper-respiratory illness) with Meyers Leonard. Both of these substitutes were considered to be the tail end of the bench—and that is exactly why these moves are significant.
It would have been easy for Stotts to start Dorell Wright and Chris Kaman (proven veterans) in place of Batum and Aldridge. It probably would have ensured the most stability. Yet, the Trail Blazers are now at a point where stability is second fiddle to development, because they can withstand the growing pains. That is part of being an elite team. The fact that Stotts was willing to take a risk actually demonstrates the diminishment of the risk itself.
In other words, the Trail Blazers did not need an urgent response to what would have been an urgent situation just one year ago. The team is good enough that they can afford to spread valuable court time to those who need it most when it is available, without coming at the cost of victory. This experience, in turn, makes the team more formidable as a whole, creating comfort for future situations in which the deep bench is needed.
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Considering Stotts’ tendency to rely on veterans in dire straits, this is a pretty clear signal that he is confident in the abilities of the maturing youth. Today’s DNPs are tomorrow’s role players, so development is crucial. It also indicates his commitment to internal growth, which appeared to be a focal point for the team during the offseason and is something he has not been previously known for.
While players like Crabbe and Leonard will not be needed on a nightly basis once the starting lineup is 100 percent healthy, the experience they have gained finishing close games will help them be of more use when their names are called in the future. This is how depth gets to the point of utility. A Crabbe with legitimate crunch time experience, for instance, is infinitely more useful than a Crabbe with only garbage time under his belt.
Think about the deepest elite team in the NBA: the San Antonio Spurs. They are able to rest their stars almost at whim because their bench is so strong. Everyone under 30 (including starters Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard) started off in a minimal role, but each of them is important. The Trail Blazers are finally laying the foundation for a similar future, where urgency is not an issue because everyone is reliable.
Or, at least, they are giving themselves that option. Whether or not deep bench players climb the ladder as other assets become too expensive to retain in the long term, they hold short term value in this season’s playoffs if injuries dictate contribution. The Trail Blazers are a playoff team. This developmental foresight is encouraging for both the individual beneficiaries and the roster in its entirety as the team moves forward.