How much time will Nik Stauskas get in 2018-2019 season?

Neil Olshey listed the eight Blazers players with guaranteed spots in the rotation in his interview with Brooke Olzendam – Nik Stauskas wasn’t one of them. So, how much playing time will he get next season?

Terry Stotts has historically run a nine or ten-man rotation with the Blazers. He likes to stagger Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, then employ a bench unit to play with one of them while the other rests with the starters.

Last season, Shabazz Napier, Pat Connaughton, Evan Turner, Zach Collins and Ed Davis made up that second unit playing alongside Lillard or McCollum.

Three of those five rotation guys left over the summer, opening up significant playing time – 57.7 minutes per game to be exact.

Moving Davis indicated a bump in time for Collins, but 50 or so minutes are still available.

Based on his Summer League performance and Portland’s decision to re-sign him, Wade Baldwin IV should get more consistent play in 2018-2019, even if it’s for less than 10 minutes per contest.

Past those two predictable changes, plenty of minutes are still vacant for any of the new signings, rookies, or end-of-the-bench guys from last year’s roster.

Then, in his interview with Brooke Olzendam, Neil Olshey shed a little more light on who will fill out the rotation.

"“So, when you really look at, especially the way Terry likes to run his rotation, he really likes a nine-man rotation. So, when you look at the starters, plus Evan, plus Zach getting an increased role, we’re at our seven guys. Seth steps in, he gets to eight. And then it’s a battle for that ninth and tenth situational minute spot.:”"

According to Olshey, the starting unit will look the same as last year (when everyone was healthy). Then, before any training camp or preseason exposure, he sees the bench unit looking like this:

• G: Damian Lillard/CJ McCollum
• G: Seth Curry
• F: [open]
• F: Evan Turner
• C: Zach Collins
• Extra: [open] (but probably Wade Baldwin IV)

Barring any injuries, there is one, maybe two, rotation spots available. Training camp and preseason will determine who gets the spots. However, Olshey spoke very highly of Nik Stauskas in his interview with Brooke Olzendam and is probably leaning toward playing the new signing based on his NBA experience.

"“We felt like he was one of the better minimum wings on the market. Like I said, we feel like he’s got the right skill set that can be maximized in Terry’s system. He can dribble. He can pass. He shot the ball well form three last year.”"

Wrapping up the reserve team with Stauskas creates a fairly small lineup. He and Turner will play the forward positions and are 6’6″ and 6’7″, respectively. Olshey says the Blazers are embracing position-less basketball, so here’s the unit they’ll test it out with.

If Stauskas and Baldwin do fill out the rotation, it will have a very similar structure to the bench unit from the end of last year. Curry gets Napier’s time, Stauskas gets Connaughton’s time, and Baldwin keeps his 7-10 minutes per game.

That means Seth Curry will play roughly 20 minutes per game, most of which will be alongside Lillard or McCollum, rarely both. Stauskas will get around 18 minutes per night at a forward spot with Turner.

However, Stauskas still needs to earn his position on the team. Olshey didn’t specifically list him in the eight players with a solidified role, and there are two hungry rookies looking for some NBA experience.

He’ll earn this spot by shooting well from three, especially on catch-and-shoot opportunities.