The Portland Trail Blazers are running out of time to gain ground in the Western Conference play-in race. They're back three games from the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, with just nine games left to play. But in reality, it's four games; Portland needs to have a better record than both teams, as they don't have a tiebreaker over either.
Although the Blazers aren't mathematically eliminated, their chances are getting slimmer by the day. Deciding who to allocate more and fewer minutes to is challenging relative to other teams because they don't have a true sense of direction, an issue that has plagued them all season.
Scoot Henderson deserves more minutes
The Blazers' messy backcourt is one of their biggest problems and something they'll need to address in the offseason. Specifically, they'll have to decide which two out of Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson, and Shaedon Sharpe will be here long-term.
They already have a seven-year sample size on Simons to help guide their decision, but the Blazers don't quite fully know yet what they have in their two young guards. They're giving themselves a better chance to figure it out with Sharpe, who is averaging 35.2 minutes in March. That is especially important given his looming rookie-scale extension, but they must do the same with Scoot.
He's on the verge of a second-year breakout and playing much more efficiently, yet Chauncey Billups has decreased his minutes and usage rate from last year. It's great that the Blazers are leaning more into their young core down the stretch, but they still need to make Henderson more of a priority.
Jabari Walker needs an increased role
Jabari Walker is... quietly emerging as a 3-and-D forward? We debated putting Kris Murray here instead, but Walker has shown more promise with his shooting, giving him the nod. He's shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc this season, including a red-hot March where he's gone 11-of-15.
Walker's past two seasons and free throw shooting (66.7 percent) suggest that he may not have the touch to make this sustainable. But the Blazers don't have much to lose and might as well give him more opportunity to both find out and help him further develop.
Even if the shot isn't here to stay, he is a serviceable role player who doesn't try to do too much, providing energy, defense, and rebounding. Walker's role should have increased due to Portland's frontcourt injuries, but he's averaging 13.9 minutes this month.
Dalano Banton should be utilized less
Dalano Banton is becoming one of the most frustrating Blazers players to watch. There are some things he does well as a 6-foot-8 jumbo guard. His size gives Billups a lot of lineup versatility, and he's good at getting inside the paint, which Portland needs more of. He's also shooting a career-best 36.4 percent from three this season. But the cons outweigh the pros at this point.
Portland is playing more team-oriented basketball lately and is moving the ball much better than they did at the beginning of the season. But the possessions oftentimes seem to die with Banton -- that's just the type of player he is. It can even be valuable in specific situations when the Blazers are struggling to get anything going. However, he should be utilized as a 'break glass in case of emergency' type of player, not a consistent rotational piece.
The minutes aren't the only issue; it's also the fact that the offense needs to revolve around him for Banton to be productive. His 23.4 usage rate is the third highest behind Sharpe and Simons. That cuts into opportunities for other players who will more likely be on the iteration of the Blazers' next playoff team.