Trail Blazers: Player grades from Carmelo Anthony’s debut in New Orleans

While the spotlight was focused in on Carmelo Anthony’s return to the court, there was a lot to be learned from the Trail Blazers’ disappointing loss in NOLA.

Since the day Damian Lillard was drafted and officially signed his contract back on July 11, 2012, there probably hasn’t been this much excitement for a Portland Trail Blazers game in which the superstar didn’t play. That’s the Carmelo Anthony effect, folks.

Unfortunately, Melo wouldn’t get all that warm of a welcome as they dropped the game to the New Orleans Pelicans 104-115. Once Lillard returns to the court, let’s hope we see a much improved performance on the Trail Blazers’ behalf.

Here are player grades from last night’s action.

Nobody could have realistically expected Carmelo to make an immediate return and excel. He had a rough shooting night near the basket, going 2-for-11 within the arc. He did receive a lot of contact on multiple occasions however, so the outlook on his first game performance could have been wildly different if the referees had not swallowed their whistles all night. Even Michael Jordan only shot 7-for-28 in his first game back with the Bulls after returning from retirement. On the other end, Anthony committed five turnovers and fouls each, which seriously hampered the team down the line.

That being said, he did a lot of little things very well. He shot 2-for-3 from deep and helped stretch the floor. He gave a genuine effort on defense, including a block from behind. More importantly, Melo proved to apparently be the only player in the Trail Blazers’ frontcourt capable of setting a quality screen.  A weak pick-and-roll game has hampered Portland all year and Melo showing signs of finally becoming a team player are reason to be excited.

Despite our best wishes, CJ McCollum once again looked like a a clear-cut second option on a contender, not a leader. With Dame out due to back spasms, this was the best opportunity CJ was ever going to get to prove he could also carry this squad. He didn’t necessarily perform poorly, but his play wasn’t enough to will the Trail Blazers over even the actively-tanking Pelicans.

McCollum shot 9-for-22 from the field, repeatedly stagnating the offense and forcing his iso ball. Although his teammates weren’t hitting their shots either, so perhaps being selfish was the right call here. He did manage to knock down four of his ten 3-point attempts, and also dished out five assists while only committing one turnover. These are the silver linings for CJ coming out of this disappointing loss.

Although I’ve had my suspicions for a while, I’ve finally seen enough. Hassan Whiteside is the king of empty stats on the box score and poor production on the court. His stellar length and size allow him to post gaudy rebound and block totals, but a low motor and basketball IQ limit his true game-changing ability. Whiteside refuses to pass out of the post to open shooters. He sets the worst screens of any big man I’ve ever watch play. And he flat out can’t defend on the perimeter. The Pelicans repeatedly got wide open layups by drawing Hassan out of the paint and driving to the hoop. Portland is sorely missing the lateral agility and defense of Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins.

This was Anfernee Simons‘ first official start with the Trail Blazers real starting five. Truth be told, it was not all that memorable of a performance. Simons shot 4-for-13 from the field even while matching up against the stiff-legged J.J. Redick. He was one of many who played a part in Portland’s stagnant iso offensive scheme. Though he did drop four dimes and committed no turnovers, which may point to his development as a playmaker.

Finally, some good news. While all eyes were on Collins and Simons to step up this year, Nassir Little our unexpected hero of the story. Most people didn’t even think Nassir would play a role in the rotation at all this year, but his bulldog mentality and immense effort on the court have made his emergence inevitable. Little has consistently been the Trail Blazers best defender when he’s gotten minutes, something Portland crucially needs in the absence of last year’s defensive cornerstones.

Shooting has been a struggle for Little so far this year, but last night he went 5-for-6 from the floor and nailed both of his triples. Little was also a force in the paint, collecting 11 boards — tied for a game-high four offensive rebounds despite only playing 23 minutes off the bench. A pair of blocks and a steal helped provide the Trail Blazers with extra possessions to hopefully turn the tide.

Rip City can tune in on Thursday night as the Blazers road trip takes them to Milwaukee, where they’ll have their hands full with the reigning MVP.