1 goal for each Portland Trail Blazers reserve for 2021-2022 NBA season
By Andy Quach
2. Tony Snell – crack five 3-point attempts per game
Tony Snell has turned into an absolute sniper. He put up a historic 50/50/100 season last year. Needless to say, he had an outrageous shooting season by all means.
What’s curious is despite the ridiculous accuracy, Snell only took 2.3 attempts from deep per game for the Atlanta Hawks last season. This could be a product of the Hawks system, but nevertheless, it seems like the more he shoots, the better off his team is.
The Portland Trail Blazers have plenty of shooters up and down the roster, but it never hurts to add another elite marksman. Snell probably won’t sniff another season in which he makes over half of his 3-pointers, but if that means more volume from the former New Mexico Lobo, then it’s a fair tradeoff.
If he can finish with over five attempts a night from deep and hit a more mundane 40 percent of them, the Blazers would have gotten an absolute steal for the veteran’s minimum.
3. Nassir Little – win Most Improved Player
The Most Improved Player of the Year award is often a reward for increased opportunity. Lucky for Nassir Little, he should have plenty of that next year.
He also has a low bar to improve from to boost his resume for the hardware.
Last season, Little averaged 4.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game with 13.3 minutes a night. With the Portland Trail Blazers severe lack of depth, especially at the forward position, Nas should have plenty of added floor time to prove himself next year.
Portland will need the former North Carolina Tar Heel to be vastly improved if they’re to be a postseason threat. He’s shown the potential to be a star in this league some day, but this next season is the time to cash in.
If Little can provide double-digit points off the bench, while playing good wing defense, he’ll be well on his way to winning his first piece of NBA hardware and making the Blazers a contender.