A report card for the top 6 contributors in the Trail Blazers 112-106 win over Will “The Thrill” Barton and the Nuggets.
Starters
CJ McCollum: 25 points/7 assists/3 rebounds
Once again, McCollum starred for the Trail Blazers, putting up a team leading 25 points. What was most impressive about his outing was his outstanding efficiency. McCollum shot .588% from the field, good for his third best mark of December-January. He also pitched in 7 assists, making it five out of his last six games with at least 6. He is becoming quite an excellent facilitator, averaging 6.5 APG since Lillard was sidelined – a number that is 2.2 assists higher than his season average. McCollum did, however, account for 5 of Portland’s 10 turnovers, making it a less than spotless performance. A-
Allen Crabbe: 14 points/2 assists/3 rebounds
For three quarters, Allen Crabbe was a magician, putting on an incredible disappearing act for the Pepsi Center crowd. The starting shooting guard made just one of his seven shot attempts, and headed into the 4th quarter with a measly three points. Then Crabbe caught fire from all over the court, making a total of five shots with a total of 11 points in the quarter. With 14 points for the night Crabbe extended his streak of double digit scoring, making it seven games in row. That ties a career high which he had in early December. Along with McCollum, Crabbe should be a top five candidate for Most Improved Player, upping his scoring average by almost 10 points per game. B
Al-Farouq Aminu: 14 points/1 assist/3 rebounds
Aminu got back on track offensively, shooting .625 from the field and .750 from beyond the arc. While Aminu and Allen Crabbe both scored 14 points, Aminu did it in ten less minutes and on six less shots. Defensively, he failed to register a steal for the third straight game, after coming up with at least 2 in the three games prior. As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how committed Terry Stotts is to Aminu starting at small forward. With Allen Crabbe playing the best basketball of his young career, it could be an intriguing option to bring him into the starting five, and bump Aminu down with the second unit. B+
Noah Vonleh: 5 points/2 assists/8 rebounds
Like most Trail Blazers fans, my disappointment in Noah Vonleh’s production has steadily grown with each below average game. Last night we saw a little glimpse into why Stotts has stuck with him and neglected to bring Leonard back into the starting lineup. The 20-year old snagged down a season high 8 rebounds, and without two garbage games in late April last season in which Vonleh got 12, it would have been a career mark. He also tied his season high in minutes played (26), outplaying every other big man on the roster. His big highlight came at the end of the 3rd quarter, with a tip-in buzzer beater to tie the game at 80. B+
Mason Plumlee: 6 points/2 assists/0 rebounds…0
Let’s just forget that Plumlee even played in Denver last night. The 6 points are normal for the offensively challenged big man, but that big fat zero in the rebounding column stings. For the player who leads Portland in rebounds per game, not registering even one is an embarrassment. With that said, I have full confidence in his ability to bounce back against Memphis, because I’m sure he isn’t pleased with his performance either. F
Sixth Man of the Game
Gerald Henderson: 19 points/2 assists/5 rebounds
With other bench players struggling to score, Gerald Henderson stepped up in a big way. The veteran swing man scored 19 points, and got to the line more than any other player for Portland. So far this season, Henderson has shown little signs of being a consistent offensive player. On December 1st, he scored 20 points. The next game, just 4. On the 14th, he scored 19, only to follow that up with a 2 point outing. If he can show a more steady rhythm shooting the ball, he could be a very valuable piece off the bench. B+