When the Portland Trail Blazers traded Evan Turner for Kent Bazemore, they added a player that is a great fit on this roster. How can he help this team in 2019?
The Portland Trail Blazers sadly said goodbye to Evan Turner after three years of great service. By trading him to the Atlanta Hawks they were able to bring back small forward Kent Bazemore. Both on the last year of their four-year deals their salaries were almost identical. In Bazemore they now have a player that fits better than Turner did.
Bazemore as a two-way wing fits the Blazers so well. In need of more perimeter defense and shooting he will fit seamlessly into the rotation. In detail below is how Bazemore will fit in on this team.
Defense
Though the Blazers weren’t a bad team defensively last year, historically they have struggled to force turnovers. In the past seven years they have never been higher than 26th in the league when it came to forcing turnovers. On last years Blazers squad only Maurice Harkless and Jusuf Nurkic stole the ball at a high rate. Bazemore though, has been in the 89th percentile or higher for the last four years. His off ball defense is excellent while he is also adept at chasing shooters around screens and closing out on the perimeter. Forcing more turnovers will be key for a team that was actually second in the league in finishing from steals when they had the opportunity. In three preseason games he has averaged 3.3 steals so far. Though this is only preseason, Bazemore will continue to be a disruptor in the Blazers defense.
Offense
Bazemore isn’t a premium offensive player but he is a high energy guy who can get you buckets on the second unit. He averaged 35.5% from three for the Hawks and got to the line often for a bench scorer. Looking back at last years Blazers squad a lot of the players that got to the line or shot a significant amount of threes have departed. Bazemore can replace this and may be asked to shoot more threes than he did in Atlanta. He will do this while also being able to make strong reads if needed. Though not a renowned playmaker he isn’t a ball stopper and is unselfish when on the court.
Cap flexibility
Bazemore only having one year left on his deal means he is an asset for this team. Evan Turner wasnt likely to be a team in demand when other playoff teams came calling. As a three and d wing his salary is useful in any trades around the deadline. He is also useful as when the Blazers traded for him they returned his bird rights. This means that when his deal expires at the end of the season the Blazers can go over the cap to resign him. With the Blazers not having a large amount of space they may not be able to resign a similar wing so having these bird rights may come in handy depending on how they choose to spend their cap.
Like Hassan Whiteside, Bazemore is thirty years old and looking for one more decent payday in the league. He is still a great asset in the league and can help a team like Portland get over the top. Heres hoping he has a great season.