The Portland Trail Blazers roster is all but set for the 2021-2022 NBA season. General Manager Neil Olshey believes that the team as currently constructed is enough to compete for a title or at least keep Damian Lillard appeased enough to prevent a trade request.
If this is to be true, each and every player on the squad will have to reach new heights in the upcoming season. As is, it doesn’t seem that this roster is of contender status, but with enough internal growth, this squad could surprise a lot of people.
With specific milestones in mind, the team as a collective can elevate their ceiling together to reach true contender status. We’ve already covered what the starters should be shooting for next year. Here’s one goal for the projected reserves that could help the Portland Trail Blazers become true championship threats.
One goal for each Portland Trail Blazers reserve to elevate the team’s ceiling
1. Anfernee Simons – average three free throws per game
Anfernee Simons is a dunk contest champion, but you probably wouldn’t know that from watching him play. The kid is chockfull of talent and athleticism, but so rarely attacks the rim you’d think he was afraid of it.
Instead, Simons is more comfortable launching from downtown. In his three seasons, he’s taken 537 attempts from deep and only 463 shots from inside. So far, the kid is taking nearly 54 percent of his shots from behind the arc.
The Portland Trail Blazers are going to need a playmaker to step up on their bench and the role should go to Simons, who was expected to be a combo guard in the league. If he’s unwilling to attack the rim though, he’ll find it difficult to manipulate defenses to open up looks for his teammates.
Ant’s career high in free throw attempts per game came in 2019-2020 when he took 1.3 freebies a night. That number is abysmally low. Even shooting specialist Kyle Korver cracked two free throws per game once in his career.
If Simons averages at least three tries at the stripe, that means he’s attacking the rim with more regularity. This will be monumental for his growth as an all-around offensive threat and a major bolster to the bench unit’s capabilities.