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Portland Trail Blazers: Ranking each player on the 2019-20 roster

By Austin Carroll

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 23: Portland Trail Blazers react from the bench during Game Five of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 23: Portland Trail Blazers react from the bench during Game Five of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Portland Trail Blazers
Gary Trent Jr. #2 of the Portland Trail Blazers (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) /

14. Gary Trent Jr.

If there was ever a wild card on the Portland Trail Blazers roster, Gary Trent Jr. would surely fill the role better than most. After scoring 14.5 points per game on 40.2 percent shooting from deep for the Duke Blue Devils, the Blazers selected Gary Trent Jr. No. 37 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.

While that hasn’t translated to NBA play just yet, that potential is exactly what Portland was banking on when they used their second-round draft pick on him. Perhaps all he needs is a more consistent role instead of just filling in garbage time to really showcase his talents.

And don’t be mistaken, Trent Jr. sure is talented. In six games with the Texas Legends in G League play, he scored 33.3 points and nailed 50 percent of his 3-point shots while taking 10 attempts from downtown per contest. That last part is critical, because many people were unsure if his shooting would translate from college after only making 23.8 percent of his shots from beyond the arc in the NBA.

Again, maybe a new year and an increased workload will allow Trent Jr. to finally follow in his father’s foot steps and establish a firm role in the league.

— Carroll

13. Skal Labissiere

Entering the final year of his rookie scale contract, does anyone know what to make of Skal Labissiere? Despite flashes of becoming a solid rotational player in the NBA, the former first-round pick out of Kentucky has thus far struggled to establish a grip on an actual spot in the rotation of an NBA team.

He only played a total of 63 minutes with the Portland Trail Blazers last season, leaving many fans scratching their heads on what’s to come for the big man. If he can put together a respectable outing this season in a contract year, he may earn a real place in the league.

And he should get every opportunity to prove he’s worth the money this season, considering the shallow depth in the Blazers frontcourt rotation. Jusuf Nurkic won’t be back until 2020, Pau Gasol and Anthony Tolliver are well past their primes, and Hassan Whiteside and Zach Collins have both struggled with staying out of foul trouble over the course of their careers.

Now is the time for the youth to shine. Even if he only averages 15 to 20 minutes per game, that would be a big win for Skal. His solid rim protection ability combined with a career 37.5 percent mark from deep indicate he has the makings of a nice complementary player.

— Carroll