5 Takeaways from the Portland Trail Blazers’ first preseason game

3. Blazers shot decently from deep

Midway through the second quarter, the Blazers were 6-for-12 from deep. While they could not continue this hot clip, they still ended going 12-for-31.

Both of Portland’s new acquisitions got on the board for triples, one right after the other.

First, Seth Curry:

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1046186110521683969

Then Nik Stauskas:

Last season, the Blazers attempted 28.1 three-pointers per game and hit 10.3 of them. And it would appear they are looking to up these numbers to get into the top half of the league.

Of course, the preseason atmosphere likely led to some extra deep shots that wouldn’t have come in a “real” game, like this one from Jusuf Nurkic:

But it still stands, we’re likely to see more three-pointers from the Blazers this season, especially as their new pieces get more acclimated to the offense.

4. Jake Layman looked confident and aggressive

Swingman Jake Layman started the Blazers’ first game, likely because Maurice Harkless is still recovering from a knee injury. While he didn’t set the world on fire, he looked confident and aggressive, showing why he was chosen to start over someone else like Meyers Leonard or Zach Collins.

Even after being blocked at the rim on two different occasions, Layman kept the same mindset he started with. Throughout the game, he was crafty around the perimeter to step into midrange jumpers.

Although he ended the night 2-for-10 and only four points, he showed a lot of promise out there against the Raptors first-unit. Look for Layman to become a prominent backup player when Harkless returns.

5. The big man rotation is worrisome

None of Portland’s big men looked particularly promising in their debuts.

Nurkic was just fine. He ended the night with nine points and five rebounds. The Blazers looked to give him opportunities in the high-post with the second unit to create, but he didn’t find many passing lanes. However, this isn’t a bad thing – at least he isn’t forcing it.

Collins was a bit of a mess, especially in the low post. At one point, even Malachi Richardson stopped him down there. We certainly shouldn’t overreact to this one preseason game, but Collins needs to look better in these upcoming exhibitions to warrant the increased minutes he’s likely to see this season.

Leonard was okay. In the first half, he looked confused and scared but eventually began letting it fly from deep with great results. He hit three-of-his-four three-point attempts, including this four-point play:

However, he played much of his time as the backup center. In his 14 minutes, he grabbed zero rebounds and almost looked uninterested in fighting for boards. He will need to be more aggressive on the glass if he wants to be a positive player for this Blazers team.

Caleb Swanigan looked pretty good out there. In his 15 minutes, he hit both of his field goal attempts and led the team in rebounding with eight. If he can show more sturdiness as a defender and continue working on the glass, he may eventually turn into a nice role player off the bench to stabilize second units.

With the first preseason game in the books, let’s hope the Blazers can continue building on their improved ball movement and that the big men come back with a vengeance in their next outing. Their next game is Friday, October 5, against the Phoenix Suns.