Portland Trail Blazer: Trevor Ariza, the best small forward in years

Trevor Ariza only played 21 games for the Portland Trail Blazers. But in that time, he showed skills on both ends that we hadn’t seen in a wing in years.

Trevor Ariza came to the Portland Trail Blazers in a January trade that sent Kent Bazemore and multiple second-round picks to the Sacramento Kings.

Bazemore had struggled for offensive impact, so this trade seemed like nothing but a cost-saving move, as Ariza earned significantly less than Bazemore.

But, when Ariza hit the court, he added value instantly. As a 35-year-old wing with championship experience, he adds more value as a complementary piece on a playoff team than on a young rebuilding team.

Ariza’s ability to hit corner threes, attack closeouts, and play great defense, meant that he was a perfect foil to on-ball players in CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard. Ariza hit 46 percent of his corner threes this season and shot 63 percent at the rim. This mark at the rim was actually better than any player on the Blazers, not name Hassan Whiteside.

Ariza’s defense was also massive. As a 12-year veteran, he is such a savvy defender, and he can guard positions two through four. His ability to guard the top forwards in the league was crucial in some of the games that the Blazers won late in the season. He was excellent at forcing turnovers with his great hands, while his rebounding skills were evident too. At six-foot-eight, he was often the second tallest player on the floor.

Ariza also made some nice plays as a passer and looked to move the ball wherever possible. He is a smart decision-maker, and this was evident in his reads on offense.

21 games, 21 starts

11.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.4 blocks

59.5 percent from two, 40.0 percent from three, 87.2 percent from the line

49.1 percent from the field, 59.7 percent effective field goal, 64.3 percent true shooting

Though the small sample of 21 games is obviously to Ariza’s advantage when breaking down his statistical value, Ariza did have a great 21 games.

Being able to knock down open shots and then move your feet on the other end has actually been a rare occurrence in players with size in Portland. You have to go back to the days of Wesley Matthews a,t least, to see a guy doing what Ariza did in these 21 games. The difference being that Ariza is six-foot-eight and Matthews is six-foot-four.

Because of franchise cornerstones Dame and CJ being shot-makers who primarily create on the ball, Ariza could spot up and attack collapsing defenses as he played off these two.

I’m still not sure that the Ariza trade wasn’t a cost-cutting move. If it was, and he played well then, that’s great. But hopefully, they see the value in his great play this season and elect to bring him back next year.

He has a partial guarantee on his 2020/21 contract, but the Blazers can fully guarantee this without impacting their cap space or mid-level exception. My worry is still that they may cut him to save money, but we won’t know for a month or two whether this is in play.

It was so refreshing to have a proper ” three and d ” player; I hope Neil Olshey sees the value in this and looks to invest in this style of player again.