5 players the Trail Blazers must target if they want to make the playoffs
3. Kyle O’Quinn
Kyle O’Quinn looks to be on a collision course with yet another roster purge by the Philadelphia 76ers. O’Quinn is by no means a bad player, but Philadelphia’s need for outside shooting has them looking to make sacrifices where possible in search of genuine perimeter threats.
It feels like no team in recent memory has had as much roster turnover as the 76ers. Recruiting O’Quinn to the stable environment Portland provides might be a good change of pace that ends up being a mutually beneficial decision.
Portland saw great success running the pick-and-pop with Skal Labissiere earlier in the season. Unfortunately, that was cut short by a left knee injury that was essentially season-ending for a team that needs wins right now if they want to make the playoffs.
Fortunately, O’Quinn could replace Skal’s former role with the team with his elite mid-range game. This season he is hitting 50 percent of his shots from the 3-10 foot range and 62.5 percent of attempts from beyond 16 feet out but within the 3-point line.
O’Quinn is an excellent defender and has the versatility to play both power forward and center. He would fit seamlessly in a frontcourt rotation that’s been forced to trot out players like Caleb Swanigan, Wenyen Gabriel, and Mario Hezonja. While they’ve all had their moments, those aren’t the kind of names you see lifting the Larry O’Brien at the end of the season. O’Quinn would be a strong step in the right direction.