Trail Blazers Opening Night Report Card

A report card for all 9 players who contributed to the Trail Blazers 112-94 victory over the Pelicans

Starting Five:

Damian Lillard: Considering that Lillard only shot 38% from the field, 21 points is nothing to scoff at. Combine that with the 11 assists he dished out, and we can see that Dame had a solid debut. A-…only to be overshadowed by…

C.J. McCollum: I can’t say enough positive things about C.J.’s first game as the starting shooting guard. By the end of the first quarter, everyone inside and outside of the arena knew that his breakout versus the Grizzlies last year was no fluke. Fun Fact: McCollum’s 37 points equal that of the combined outputs of Aldridge(11), Matthews(9), Batum(9), and Lopez(8) in their first games with new teams. Wow. A++

Oct 28, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum (3) reacts after making a three point basket against the New Orleans Pelicans during the fourth quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

Al-Farouq Aminu: No one knew if Aminu was going to play at all Wednesday night, but he did, and boy did he show up. Chipping in 9 points and 8 rebounds, perhaps his most valuable contribution were his 2 monstrous blocks. B+

Meyers Leonard: The new starting power forward did what all of us anticipated him to do: shoot threes, shoot threes, and then shoot more threes. That’s fine, but at some point he’s going to have to make more than 2-7 from beyond the arc. The 8 rebounds wwew nice as well, and I think most Blazer fans were pleased with his performance. B

Mason Plumlee: Plumlee caught no breaks from the refs, collecting 4 fouls before the end of the 3rd quarter. In turn, he only played 19 minutes, so his play doesn’t really show what his full potential is. Nevertheless, he did chip in 6 rebounds and 6 assists, making his debut very well-rounded. B

Bench:

Ed Davis: Although Davis didn’t get the start, his play may force Terry Stotts to look at playing him more at PF/C. Davis is the first player to come off the bench for the Portland and get a double double in a very, very long time. A-

Noah Vonleh: Coming off a stellar Summer League, many Rip City fanatics heralded Vonleh to be the next LaMarcus Aldridge. Those fans might want to temper their expectations, as he only scored one basket and didn’t register a single rebound. He only got 14 minutes of playing time, so that’s a factor, but still; it wasn’t a very impressive outing from the young big man. D

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Maurice Harkless: Even though Harkless got the second lowest amount of minutes, he made the most of them, drilling 2 three pointers. One of which came at a very critical moment near the end of the game when New Orleans was mounting its comeback. He could eat into Allen Crabbe’s minutes sooner than later. B+

Allen Crabbe: Being one of the only returning players from last years roster, I had high expectations for Crabbe coming into the season. Instead of confirming my hopes, he only mustered up 4 points, and missing both of his 3 point attempts. D-