Blazers Player Profile: Luis Montero (R)
After looking at several of the new players joining the Trail Blazers this season, we finally take a peek at one of the rookies. Perhaps the most intriguing rookie currently on the squad is Luis Montero, a 6’7, 195 pound guard who went undrafted out of Westchester Community College. Montero’s journey could, at the very least, be called bizarre and although it seemed unlikely weeks ago, he may have a real shot at making the final roster. Who is this mystery man from the Dominican and, most importantly, can he actually play?
Sep 28, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Luis Montero (44) poses during media day at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
Pre-NBA
I told you Montero’s journey was bizarre, and I wasn’t exaggerating. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Montero filled into his long, lean frame early on and became one of the best talents in his home country. At the age of 19, Montero moved to the US, enrolling at Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Massachusetts to give himself an opportunity to be seen by college coaches and, perhaps, gain a scholarship.
Montero’s coach from the Dominican had a relationship with Stan Heath who, at the time, was the head coach at South Florida. After seeing Montero play, Heath and his staff extended him an offer to play at USF. Unfortunately, Montero didn’t have the grades to make it into the school, so he was forced to head to junior college instead. That’s when he enrolled at Westchester Community College and his basketball career took an unexpected turn.
After one season at WCC, Montero turned many heads as he put up averages of 15.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.3 BPG and 1.3 SPG, all while mostly playing the point guard position. As his stock rose, Montero stayed committed to USF and planned on heading there after his sophomore season. Little did he know, that season would never happen. Before we get into those details though, you’re probably wondering what this guy looks like on the floor. Well, here you go.
Not to shabby, right? Anyways, back to the story.
Westchester found themselves entrenched in a serious scandal as the men’s basketball program was accused of forging transcripts in order to get their players into four-year colleges. In July, leading into what would have been Montero’s sophomore season, Westchester announced that they were cancelling the season and firing assistant coach Richard Fields. (Side note: if you want a real laugh, get this. Fields denied any wrongdoing, but then admitted to providing a fake transcript and forging an administrator’s signature. Umm, Coach Fields? I think you’re confused of what “wrongdoing” means…)
With the late notice, Montero was unable to get into another school for the season, so he spent the year playing pickup games and training on his own in the gym. Though he began taking classes at a different JUCO in January in preparation to play there in the fall , Montero started seeing rumors that NBA teams were looking at him as a possible second round pick. That was all he needed to hear. Signing an agent before the draft, Montero worked out for several teams, including New York, Indiana, Oklahoma City and, of course, Portland. Although he ultimately went undrafted, he impressed enough to earn at shot with with the Trail Blazers.
NBA/What he brings to the table
Now don’t get me wrong; this guy is a project. He did some nice things in the summer league (his first shot attempt was a deep pull up 3 that he drained), but there are still plenty of question marks. I mentioned earlier that he played PG at WCC, but that isn’t a realistic option for him in the NBA. He needs to bulk up, as he has the tendency of being pushed around by the bigger shooting guards and small forwards. He also needs to improve his shot selection (that 3 in the summer league looked great, but there is no denying it was a bit forced).
He also is still getting adjusted to playing against elite players; no disrespect to the JUCO level, but you’re simply not playing top tier players every night. One last red flag is his age. At 22, and with only one non-high school season under his belt, you would like to see him be much more advanced at this stage.
All that said, there is a lot to like about Montero. His time at PG in college did him a great service in developing his vision, especially as a SG/SF. When you watch his highlight video above, take notice of his long frame (he has a 7’1 wingspan!) and athleticism and how that gives him the ability to finish in a lot of different ways around the basket. He also possesses nice handles, something he shows at times when he snags a defensive rebound then takes it coast to coast for a slam.
In my opinion, Montero is going to find himself in the league for a long time. Though it may take a year or two for him to get there, I can see him turning into a poor man’s version of Giannis Antetokounmpo, albeit a smaller, not-international-superstar version. If he can’t make it as the 11th or 12th man on this Trail Blazer roster, look for him to spend some time in the D-League before eventually (and I think it will be sooner rather than later) finding his way back to the big stage.