The Portland Trail Blazers have a long road ahead if they want to bounce back from their third-straight loss after dropping a close one to the Bucks.
Without their best player in Damian Lillard, the Portland Trail Blazers were faced with the daunting task of taking on one of the NBA’s best teams (and players) while severely undermanned. As to be expected, Rip City dropped the game to a score of 129-137.
What was not expected however, was the fact there were several positive takeaways even in a loss. Truth be told, I’d wager we saw more good on the court last night than bad. While the Trail Blazers certainly need to make an effort to improve their defensive scheme and rebounding, several players showed a lot of promise on Thursday night.
Here are their player grades from last night’s action.
Now this is the CJ McCollum we’ve all been dying to see come out and perform. He absolutely stole the show and proved his early season struggles were no cause to be concerned. McCollum stepped up and was the number one option the Trail Blazers needed in the absence of Dame, shooting 15-for-29 from the field and drilling five 3-pointers on twice as many attempts. More importantly, CJ showed glimpses of becoming a real playmaker, dishing out ten assists and only turning the ball over three times despite a very high usage rate.
In his first game back, Carmelo Anthony hit the ground running, having to memorize just a few pages of Portland’s playbook. With just another two days under his belt, Melo looked like a whole new player. Despite getting some questionable no-calls on shots in the paint yet again, Anthony posted 18 points and helped get the Blazers back in the game down the stretch. His rebounding was a surprising plus as well, and he showed a willingness to pass if a quality shot opportunity didn’t immediately present itself. Once his mid-range game starts falling again, Carmelo could become a genuine starter-caliber player for the Trail Blazers.
It may be too quick to cast judgement on Kent Bazemore just yet, but he clearly isn’t the Maurice Harkless replacement we all desperately wanted. Bazemore shot 1-for-8 from the field and repeatedly tried forcing his own shot. Bazemore was brought in to primarily be a 3-and-D player, not a shot creator. Hopefully once Portland’s lineup shares any semblance with its normal healthy self, Bazemore will be able to slide back into his role as a spot-up shooter and quality defender.
Despite CJ’s heroics, Skal Labissiere was the story of the night. Even a day later, it still doesn’t seem possible that this player has been sitting on our bench all this time. Labissiere was aggressive on the boards, granting extra possessions for the Blazers. He was a defensive stalwart, swatting away five shots and also picking up a steal.
And my oh my, that jump shot may just be the sweetest I’ve seen from a big man in years. The Blazers ran the pick-and-pop with great effectiveness all night with Skal repeatedly drilling rainbow shots from mid-range. He even hit a pair of 3-point attempts. If Skal maintains this level of production, he may just be able to replace Hassan Whiteside outright.
Gary Trent Jr. has been anxiously awaiting this moment all season. He has come off the bench in every game thus far, never logging more than 15 minutes in any one appearance. Due to injuries to Lillard and Anfernee Simons, Trent Jr. finally got his chance to start in a game. He did not disappoint. He shot 5-for-7 on the night, allowing all of his looks to come naturally and within the flow of the game. He also hit 3-of-4 attempts from deep, helping push Portland to several near-comeback attempts.
Trent Jr. also positioned himself in the right place to make the right plays. He block two shots, nabbed a steal, and assisted on two baskets without turning the ball over once. Trent Jr. was the only player on the Blazers with a positive Plus/Minus last night, indicating he was making a difference on both ends of the court. Let’s hope we see more from him in the future.