Blazers Player Profile: Mason Plumlee

Wait, didn’t we just do a review on a new, second-year big man who is raw on offense but is a good rebounder and has great potential? We sure did, as our Joel Viss gave us a look at Noah Vonleh. Today, however, we look at a different player in Mason Plumlee. Already more well-known than your usual late first round draft picks due to his days at Duke, Plumlee has proven to be, if nothing else, a Top-1o highlight package waiting to happen with his outstanding leaping antics. To be an impact player in the NBA, you need to be able to do more than just dunk, but Plumlee’s ability to do that at an above average level enables him to be valuable while the rest of his game grows. Let’s take a look at Plumlee’s career up to this point and see what he can do for Portland.

Pre-NBA

Plumlee, an Indiana native, transfered after his freshman year to attend Christ School in the mountains of North Carolina. Along with his brother Miles Plumlee, a fellow Duke graduate and current member of the Milwaukee Bucks, Mason led his Christ School team to three straight state championships in route to being named a McDonald’s All-American. For anyone that wasn’t already familiar with it, Plumlee also showed off his leaping ability in the McDonald’s dunk contest (all of those dunks are included in the highlight video below).

Signing with Duke in the fall of 2008, Plumlee joined a signing class that included future pro players in Ryan Kelly and Andre Dawkins. That class, along with brother Miles, Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and Lance Thomas, won the 2010 NCAA Championship, defeating Butler 61-59. That game was an instant classic, as Gordon Hayward, now a star for the Utah Jazz, almost hit a half-court shot at the buzzer to win the game.

NBA

After graduating in the spring of 2013, the Brooklyn Nets took Plumlee with the 22nd overall pick in the NBA Draft. Though a lot of questions were raised about Plumlee’s abilities, the 6’11, 235 pound big man proved his worth, putting up 7.4 PPG and 4.4 RPG in 18 minutes of action per night, shooting an eye-popping 66% from the field. Though nothing historical, Plumlee was quietly helping an aging Nets team become a tough out for the playoffs. Then, with just six games left in the regular season, he did this.

Whoa. Plums indeed.

With that block, Plumlee sent a huge reminder that, yes, he was in the NBA, and yes, he could play.

The Nets made it out of the first round of the playoffs, defeating three seed Toronto in seven games before bowing out to Miami in five games.

Following the season, Team USA Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Plumlee’s coach at Duke, surprised everyone by naming Plumlee to the Team USA National Team for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Playing alongside top NBA post players like DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis and Kenneth Faried, Plumlee appeared in all nine games, but logged just over six minutes per game, scoring 2.0 PPG and hauling in 2.0 RPG.

Aug 13, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; USA Team White center Mason Plumlee (52) dunks the ball behind his head during the USA Basketball Showcase at Thomas & Mack Center.Team White won the game 134-128. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

His second season in the NBA, Plumlee got more game time than expected. After Andray Blatche left the team to do Andray Blatche things, and starter Brook Lopez went down with an injury, Plumlee stepped in to start 45 games, increasing his minutes, points and rebound averages over his rookie year. However, his field goal percentage took a dip (66% down to 57%), as did his free throw shooting (63% down to 50%). Though the Nets finished the season below .500 at 38-44, they snuck into the playoffs as the eight seed, eventually bowing out in six games to the top-seeded Hawks.

Following the season, Plumlee was sent to the great Northwest, along with the draft rights of Notre Dame grad Pat Connaughton (another new player!) for Steve Blake and the draft rights to Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

What to expect

So, what can the eldest Plumlee do to help the new-look Blazers? First off, if his first two seasons are any indication, he will actually be on the court! Not always a given for big men, Plumlee has played in 152 of a possible 164 games over two seasons, something many teams take for granted until injuries thin out their rotation.

We discussed Plumlee’s athleticism before, and though simple, it really is such a tool. In the video below, watch the first dunk in the clip.

Plumlee sets a high on-ball screen (something we should see plenty with Lillard and Plumlee this season) and begins to roll. The Magic player guarding Plumlee helps over until the point guard recovers, as he knows Plumlee is not a deep shooting threat. But notice how hard Plumlee runs to the rim! There is a Nets player on the ball-side block, so that defender can’t help Plumlee’s defender out, and the late arriving help from the weak-side is late because he doesn’t want to leave a good shooter open for a high percentage corner three. The pass isn’t perfect, but Plumlee snags it and throws it down (for his first career points nonetheless). This is an action Portland could use to create some good scoring opportunities this season.

The rest of the dunks are just there for fun. I mean, come on, who doesn’t like watching dunks?

If Plumlee can continue his high percentage shooting and rebounding rates, he really can be of great value. He has shown some confidence shooting from about 20 feet; if he can become consistent in that, he will help stretch the floor just enough to provide more driving lanes for the Portland guards. Plumlee is a player whose ceiling might not be that high, but he can still improve in the important areas. In the meantime, he isn’t going to hurt you. Plumlee is a really nice addition for the Blazers and I’m excited to see him share the court with a guard of Lillard’s caliber.