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Portland Trail Blazers’ new frontcourt dynamics

By David MacKay

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The Portland Trail Blazers have successfully added boatloads of youth during the ongoing off-season, primarily to their frontcourt. There are three new faces among the big men; Noah Vonleh, Mason Plumlee, and Ed Davis. They will accompany returning players, Meyers Leonard and Chris Kaman, in the post. In recent weeks, interest has grown in determining which of them will be starters on opening night, but many of these players are too close in caliber to be clear-cut frontrunners.

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I find it more important, at this point, to look instead at how each of them fit together. The starting lineup is unlikely to be concrete from the get-go anyway. Let’s take a brief moment to examine some of their talents, flaws, and functions in relation to each other. There are some pairings that have real potential to be dangerous in a good way, and some that must be avoided when possible.

First things first, we have to separate the shooters from the bangers. Leonard and Vonleh have the most range. Offensively speaking, they can be paired with most anyone in either group. They can both shoot the three very well, and are both highly mobile for their size. Where Leonard runs the floor with a little more ease, Vonleh throws his weight around a little more comfortably, so there is plenty of room to tinker with different lineups.

Davis and Plumlee, on the other hand, play almost exclusively at the rim. Trying to field them at the same time would be a spacing nightmare. Last season, Plumlee took an unholy 96 percent of his shots within eight feet of the hoop. Davis wasn’t much better at fanning out, taking almost 94 percent of his within that same radius. The Trail Blazers cannot expect to shrink the floor like that on a regular basis and still run their offense, so separating these two could be in their best interest.

Mason Plumlee shot chart 2014-15

Ed Davis shot chart 2014-15

This has some interesting implications, as both were initially projected to be starters. Since Davis predominantly plays power forward and Plumlee predominantly plays center, I tend to think that Head Coach Terry Stotts will mix-and-match them with Leonard, who can slide between both positions; the Davis/Leonard pairing for defensive purposes, and the Leonard/Plumlee pairing for creating size related mismatches. How often this happens depends largely on the developmental minutes allotted to Vonleh, who should rightfully garner plenty.

This leaves Kaman, 33, who does not exactly fit the Trail Blazers’ youth model, as somewhat of an odd man out. He will certainly play, but his mobility wanes as years pass. We saw him start last season strong, only to wear down toward the end. With several up-and-comers crowding the frontcourt this year, he will have to further embrace the mentor role. Fortunately, his superior post game and proficiency in the mid-range make him an easy plug-in with all of the young bucks that could use his guidance, and if one of them doesn’t pan out as expected, he is still right there to contribute.

Most likely, this season will feature a heaping helping of the young players that Head Coach Terry Stotts is most comfortable with on the floor. Plumlee and Davis have legs up as the most experienced youth, while Leonard has the benefit of familiarity. I anticipate seeing these three work in conjunction with each other more often than not, but also distinctly around Vonleh, who may emerge as the focal point of the youth movement with proper opportunity.

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