The Portland Trail Blazers debuted their Summer League team Sunday, August 8th against the Charlotte Hornets. The game was tightly contested the whole afternoon, but the Blazers pulled out a narrow 93-86 victory.
Antonio Blakeney led the way for Portland, scoring 27 points on a scorching 90 percent shooting. Rookies Greg Brown III and Trendon Watford had good games to start their NBA careers. Brown specifically showed off some of that tantalizing potential that made him a risk worth taking for the Blazers.
Brown finished with 9 points on 50 percent shooting, including a make from deep, and added two blocks in 18 minutes of play. Watford only scored 4 points on two shots, but pulled down four boards and came away with a theft in 16 minutes.
The Portland Trail Blazers rookies show promise in their Summer League debuts
Greg Brown III was drafted for his sensational athleticism and potential two-way versatility. Both of those aspects were on display in the Blazers victory over the Blazers. Sometimes in the same sequence.
Greg Brown III block
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) August 8, 2021
Greg Brown III dunk pic.twitter.com/BBU2ENYTyO
Brown proved that he’s already a top-tier NBA specimen. If he’s able to fine-tune the more eloquent aspects of the game, he’ll be a force to reckon with in the league one day.
At his size, with his verticality and quickness, he could one day be a versatile force on defense a la Draymond Green or Aaron Gordon. On offense, he has a budding outside jumper and promising perimeter skills for a player with his level of brute force. He has all the tools to be a two-way star one day if he can keep up his current trajectory.
As for Trendon Watford, as an undrafted free agent signing, the Portland Trail Blazers knew that he’d be a project coming into this league. In his first game, he displayed both the strengths that made him an intriguing prospect and the weaknesses that kept him from being drafted.
An encouraging sign was that he stayed in his lane pretty well, grabbing boards, trying to provide positional defense, and playing his role as a complementary offensive option. His two turnovers are a reflection of his tendency to overdo things at times—a bad habit that will need correction if he’s to have a future in the NBA.
Overall, the Blazers two rookies showed why the team decided to take a chance on them.
Head Coach Chauncey Billups needs to let the young bulls run
It was questionable seeing the Blazers add longtime NBA veterans Emmanuel Mudiay, Michael Beasley, and Kenneth Faried to their summer league roster, but the team’s decision to have them start is cause for even more scrutiny.
There’s a chance that Portland is using the summer league as an extended audition for the veteran players, hoping that one of them will show enough to earn a contract to add to the team’s depth.
So far, Faried is the only one who still seems like an NBA player. He supplied some of his infamous energy in the 23 minutes of floor time he received, finishing with eight points and rebounds a piece. Michael Beasley looked completely washed, but that didn’t make him trigger shy.
The former second-overall pick added nine points on an abysmal 3-11 shot chart. Mudiay also struggled from the floor, but did put on a nice display of playmaking, finishing with nine assists.
Overall though, none of these players seems like they’ll make any kind of significant impact on the Blazers 2021-2022 season. While trying out a few veterans in the summer league is a good idea, at this point in time, it seems like their presence will be more of a detriment to the team than a positive.
Moving forward, the team should focus more on seeing what the rookies, and even Antonio Blakeney, can do, rather than giving more opportunities to these veterans who we know won’t be meaningful contributors to the team.