2. Don’t be afraid to play the young guys
As it stands, the Portland Trail Blazers bench will probably consist of Anfernee Simons, Tony Snell, Larry Nance Jr., Cody Zeller, and one more body. Most likely Ben McLemore and Nassir Little will compete for that last slot, unless Billups prefers to play one of the three veterans the Blazers have added onto their training camp roster.
Ben McLemore is a known commodity at this point. He’ll provide spotty 3-point shooting, with a small chance to catch fire in a game. He won’t offer much else on offense, while also playing terrible defense.
Nassir Little on the other hand, was considered a steal when he was selected by Portland with the 25th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft due to his high ceiling. He’s extremely athletic, shows the promise of a three-level scorer, and could potentially be a lockdown defender one day.
Little has been underutilized so far in his first two years in the league. He’s only appeared in 96 games so far, with an average of 12 minutes per contest.
It’s due time to let the young bull run.
Nas provides the Blazers bench with a much higher ceiling, even if playing McLemore will guarantee a slightly higher floor. With Portland’s current roster, the team is more in need of a surprise impact player than a journeyman shooter.
If Cody Zeller struggles or gets injured, Billups also shouldn’t hesitate to give Greg Brown III a chance at proving that he can be a contributor in his rookie year. The Blazers don’t need Billups to play it safe, they need him to shake things up. Playing the young guys will be an easy way to infuse some energy and spontaneity to this team.