Portland Trail Blazers: Will Wenyen Gabriel play his way into the regular season rotation?

Portland Trail Blazers hybrid forward Wenyen Gabriel has become a bright spot, even despite the 0-2 start in scrimmage play. Will he earn his way into the regular season rotation?

Attempting to one-up the excitement Jusuf Nurkić and Zach Collins’ return feels like the equivalent to following up Vince Carter and Zach LaVine in a Slam Dunk Contest. Yet, somehow, Portland Trail Blazers swingman Wenyen Gabriel appears to be up to the challenge.

Heading into Orlando’s scrimmages, it felt like Gabriel’s role in the rotation was long down the line of questions to ask. But in the bubble, the former Kentucky Wildcat has made the most of his opportunity. In turn, it prompts the question: for a team in dire need of energy, defense, and bench production, will they turn to a man that offers all three when the big games begin?

Over a two game span, Gabriel’s statistics are as follows: 12 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 blocks — many of which highlight reel-esque — and on 5-of-8 shooting in 34 minutes of play. In this rare case, the numbers do do his numbers justice.

Both games have followed roughly the same arc: Portland’s starting unit stumbles out of the gate in the second half — they’ve been outscored 68-41 in third quarters — and then the gritty, ragtag reserves make a game of it in the last minute.

There wasn’t more than a mumble about Portland’s potential battle for the backup small forward role. But we’ve seen two developments thus far: Gary Trent Jr. has stepped in as the de-facto backup two-guard, and Gabriel and Mario Hezonja have played the hybrid forward role. And then, Nassir Little’s concussion opened a door for additional playing time for Gabriel.

Scrimmage games leave way for overreaction, but this feels as though it could work out like one of those old-school WWE storylines, where the champion relinquishes his belt due to injury, confided by the fact that he never technically lost it.

In my eyes, Gabriel’s played well enough to earn a few minutes, even in Portland’s shortened rotation when the regular season starts — minutes that would have belonged to Little.

Per Stotts, Little cleared his last hurdle, one-on-one drills, and that he should be able to play tomorrow. Seeing how the rotation works will be something to watch for.

Even so, none of Portland’s swingmen feel like a proven commodity to receive playing time at this point. In the last five games, Little averaged just 5.8 minutes per game, and Gabriel averaged 6.6 minutes over that same stretch. And with the Oregon-sized hole at backup SF, he’s proven capable of stepping into the role.

Gabriel looks noticeably bigger, and stood between the difference in Portland giving up at least a dozen more points over the last two games. And, he’s seemed to master the art of staying out of the way offensively, roaming along the dunker’s spot on some occasions, stealing buckets on fast break opportunities, or snagging second chance points. He’s tied for No. 2 on the team in offensive rebounds in Orlando.

Tomorrow evening’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder may be without Damian Lillard, and my guess is that Stotts takes it a bit easier on the minutes load. A big game for Wenyen Gabriel tomorrow could go a long way towards his future. And for that reason, I’d argue it’s must-watch.