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Trail Blazers: Wenyen Gabriel has potential to be a star in the NBA

By Isaac Baker

BROOKLYN, NY - NOVEMBER 22: Wenyen Gabriel #32 of the Sacramento Kings shoots the ball against the Brooklyn Nets on November 22, 2019 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 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 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY - NOVEMBER 22: Wenyen Gabriel #32 of the Sacramento Kings shoots the ball against the Brooklyn Nets on November 22, 2019 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 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 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Trail Blazers shocked many with a surprising trade for Trevor Ariza on Saturday. However, Ariza isn’t the player fans should be most excited to see in Portland.

The Portland Trail Blazers acquired Wenyen Gabriel on Saturday from Sacramento in a deal that involved many pieces. This trade required the Blazers to send Kent Bazemore, Anthony Tolliver and two future second-round draft picks to the Kings for Trevor Ariza, Wenyen Gabriel, and former Trail Blazer Caleb Swanigan.

Wenyen Gabriel has flown under the radar since going undrafted in 2018 but has since shown a heap of potential playing in the G-League for the last two seasons. It’s unclear how much playing time Gabriel will see this season, but there are many reasons the Portland Trail Blazers should consider keeping the 22-year-old around for years to come.

Coming out of high school Gabriel was an outstanding basketball prospect in his own right. Wenyon was a five-star recruit and was ranked No. 14 by ESPN for the recruiting class of 2016. As a senior in 2015-16, he averaged 22.0 points, 14.0 rebounds, 7.0 blocks, and 6.3 assists per game. Gabriel would continue playing basketball in college at the University of Kentucky. He played two seasons at Kentucky and led the school in blocks his sophomore season. That year, Gabriel declared for the NBA Draft but never heard his name called on draft night.

To reconcile his NBA career, he would sign a two-way contract with the Sacramento Kings after the Summer League. Gabriel must have made a strong early impression, because his contract was converted to a standard contract this season, before this trade that has sent him on his way to Portland.

Standing at 6-foot-9, Gabriel has utilized his impressive size and skill to dominate the NBA’s lower-division. Through seven games played, he has averaged 19.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game in the G-League. Gabriel has been a great 3-point shooter as well this season. Wenyen is shooting 46 percent from deep on a healthy sample size of 3.7 attempts per game, and hitting 55 percent of all shots from the field.

https://twitter.com/nbagleague/status/1216226594131529728?s=20

Gabriel has shown the ability to play at a high level at three different positions. He has great size for a power forward in today’s NBA and can match it with his elite athleticism and shooting. He’s agile enough on his feet to find some success playing spot minutes at small forward as well. While the Blazers boast a sturdy frontcourt when healthy, Gabriel has proved to be a good rebounder as well — making him capable of playing center in small-ball lineups.

As recently as January 11, Gabriel put on full display his ability to completely take over a game. In a win over the Iowa Wolves, he finished the game with 37 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists while making 5 three-pointers on only 6 attempts.

Next. 4 key points on the trade with Sacramento. dark

Hopefully, the Blazers give Gabriel quality minutes off the bench right away and make plans for him to stay on this team in the future. Wenyen Gabriel is extremely fun to watch and will be able to give Blazers fans hope for this season and for the future. If the cards fall in Portland’s favor, they may have just found the NBA’s next Sudanese star.