Portland Trail Blazers: Can Wenyen Gabriel unlock the team defense?

Portland Trail Blazers forward Wenyen Gabriel is raw but has the tools to be a plus defender. Can he unlock the Blazers defense?

Wenyen Gabriel was a throw-in when the Portland Trail Blazers traded Kent Bazemore for Trevor Ariza. The Sacramento Kings sent Gabriel and Caleb Swanigan; then the Blazers added some second-round picks.

Gabriel only played sparingly in the regular season before the NBA’s hiatus, and on the Kings, he was also only used in garbage time.

But, when Trevor Ariza made himself unavailable for the bubble, the Blazers needed to change their approach defensively. There were no other free agents available, so they had to use who they had on the roster.

Gabriel has the physical tools to defend bigs in this league, he is more robust than his 200-pound frame looks, and he is long. He is six-foot-nine with a seven-foot wingspan.

Gabriel didn’t get a massive uptick in minutes in the Bubble, but he was in the rotation. He played in the playoffs and guarded the team’s best big man on multiple occasions. There was no breakout performance when he locked up the opposition’s best player, but he flashed some great defense, albeit with a few fouls thrown in.

Like running mate Zach Collins, he needs to temper his aggression on the defensive end.

In the game one win over the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs, Gabriel started in place of the injured Collins, guarding Anthony Davis to begin the game.

In just 15 minutes, he had five fouls, four points, three assists, and three rebounds. He guarded Davis well on a few trips down the floor, had a dunk in transition, and showed some lovely vision on a few passes.

Obviously a bit over-zealous with the fouls, Gabriel needs to work hard in the off-season to stay on his feet, and not try to block every shot. In the above game though, he showed he has enough as a switch defender to be a plus defender in the NBA.

He is quick and can move his feet well enough to guard quicker power forwards and many centers. He can’t defend 270-pound big men, but as he works on his body, he could guard bigger players.

Offensively, he started shooting threes early in his professional career. He took and made a significant amount in the G-League, and made 8 of 25 overall this season. This isn’t huge volume, but if you compare to someone like Jusuf Nurkic, Gabriel has already started taking and making threes in his rookie year – where it took Nurkic until his fifth year to make a three-pointer.

Gabriel has nice shooting form with a quick release, and he could potentially be a stretch option like, for example – Jerami Grant.

Gabriel does need to add bulk so he can be a better finisher at the rim. If he wants to play the four, he needs to be able to finish at the rim; this is a crucial skill for a big man. With his athleticism, he could be a strong finisher in transition and the half-court if he can finish through contact. Adding bulk will be key to this.

Gabriel is still very raw, so bringing him back on a minimum deal next season would make sense for the Blazers. A two-year minimum deal with a team option on the second would give Gabriel a great incentive to develop his game while providing the Blazers flexibility to make a change in the second year if need be.