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5 Takeaways from Portland Trail Blazers vs Utah Jazz

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 11: Jusuf Nurkic
PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 11: Jusuf Nurkic
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LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 7: Anfernee Simons #24 of the Portland Trail Blazers handles the ball against the Utah Jazz during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 7, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 7: Anfernee Simons #24 of the Portland Trail Blazers handles the ball against the Utah Jazz during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 7, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)

Simons can get to where he wants to go on the floor

The No. 24 overall pick, Anfernee Simons, is certainly unpolished but there’s still a lot to be excited about him.

One thing in particular is his ability to get to his spots on the floor with crafty dribbling and smart path-taking. Throughout the preseason, he’s shown a desire to get to the right side of the key for a little floater that’s looked reliable:

https://twitter.com/trailblazers/status/1049133794400161797

But he also created off-the-ball and remained active around the half court. He had a nice cut and a nasty finish on a Caleb Swanigan feed later in the game:

Although Simons may not get a ton of minutes this year, he looks like a promising project. He looks like a threat to make the most of his limited minutes and potentially win more than Stotts expects to give him right now.

The game ended in a tough loss, but it was ultimately a good showing from most of the Blazers cast. They play their next game against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, October 10 at 7:00 P.S.T.