Dennis Smith Jr. joining the Portland Trail Blazers camp is important
By Andy Quach
The Portland Trail Blazers need a perimeter slasher like Dennis Smith Jr.
While the Portland Trail Blazers are overloaded with guards, none of them offer the ability to get to the rim like DSJ can aside from Dame and Norm. This skill is desperately needed off their bench, as the Blazers lack a reserve who can create his own shot after Carmelo Anthony and Enes Kanter left in free agency.
Portland has plenty of shooting off the pine, with Anfernee Simons, Tony Snell, and Larry Nance Jr. slated to come in and space the floor. The problem is that the second unit lacks a table setter to find those snipers for open looks.
The easiest and most common way to create clean 3-pointers is by collapsing the defense off the dribble. The best playmakers in the league threaten the rim in order to create space on the perimeter.
Dennis Smith Jr. was practically made to collapse defenses with his speed off the bounce and creativity with the ball.
DSJ takes a screen from DeAndre Jordan here and in the blink of an eye is eurostepping his way into a bucket before the defense even has time to react.
Not many current Blazers are making this play; not many players in the league in general.
Portland could certainly use Smith Jr.’s constant rim pressure to keep their offense humming when Damian Lillard is taking a breather.