Blazers: 5 goals for Meyers Leonard to achieve in the 2018-2019 season

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NORTHRIDGE, CA – AUGUST 10: Meyers Leonard attends 7th Annual 90’s Skate Night Fundraiser hosted by Delon, Dorell and Mia Wright at Skateland on August 10, 2018 in Northridge, California. (Photo by Cassy Athena/Getty Images) /

Meyers Leonard is coming off the worst season of his six-year career with the Portland Trail Blazers. What does he need to do this offseason to get back in the rotation?

The summer of 2015 vacated nearly an entire roster for the Portland Trail Blazers. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum were the only guaranteed starters, so the team signed a few outside names and primed itself for internal development.

That season, Meyers Leonard played 6.5 minutes more than he did in any other season and recorded career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, and three-pointers. He was fresh off a rare 50-40-90 season in 2014-2015 and became Portland’s pick-and-pop player.

However, he only suited up for 61 games due to a lingering shoulder problem. On Nov. 11, 2015, he suffered a dislocated shoulder versus the San Antonio Spurs and missed the following seven games. The big man quickly returned to his normal ways for the next few months, until he dislocated the same shoulder in a practice on Mar. 16, 2016. This time it required surgery, and he was consequently shut down for the remainder of the season.

Since losing that chance to solidify a role off the bench with the post-LaMarcus Aldridge era Blazers, he hasn’t been able to crack the rotation for consistent minutes. Last season was rock bottom – he played 33 games and averaged a career-low 7.7 minutes per.

Here are five goals for Meyers Leonard to regain his footing and contribute to a team paying him $20 million over the next two seasons.