Blazers: 5 goals for Nik Stauskas in his lone season with Portland

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BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 9: Nik Stauskas #11 of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots the ball against the Boston Celtics during the preseason game on October 9, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Shot creation

When the bench unit’s offense isn’t running in transition, Zach Collins and Caleb Swanigan will likely set multiple screens for Stauskas on each possession. For a majority of his points, he will bend around picks, catch a pass, and quickly fire off a three-pointer.

However, his offense can’t be as one-dimensional and predictable like it’s been in the past. In 2017-2018, 67.1% of the guard’s shot attempts were threes, and 62.5% of those threes were catch-and-shoot.

Connaughton, who played a similar off-ball role designed to generate open catch-and-shoot threes, only took 56.3% of his shots from beyond the arc.

To prevent opponents from confidently stepping over screens and contesting the quick-trigger three, Stauskas needs to add a layer to his offensive game. This can be in the form of a more consistent midrange jumper, or driving and using his athleticism to finish at the hoop.

Whichever he develops a tendency to do when his defender overplays the perimeter, it’ll need improvement. Last season, he only made 50% of his shots within five feet, and that number dropped even further when a defender contested the shot. Midrange jumpers weren’t any better; he converted on 28.6% of two-point field goals outside of the paint.