Nassir Little and Ben McLemore have earned more playing time
Not everything has been blood, bile, and tears for the Blazers. Little and McLemore have been stellar in somewhat limited playing time. And while Little has missed a handful of games with an ankle injury, McLemore has been healthy and impressive in every opportunity, yet still gets erratic minutes.
The Blazers’ surplus at his position is partly to blame, but none of their other options there have his ability to pressure the ball. Little is also a versatile defender who can guard most of the floor and the majority of players on it.
Portland has two superstar offense-only guards; one will go this season, and his name will not be Damian Lillard. It’s expected the combination of the disappointing start and as many as ten pending free agents this offseason will prompt the Blazers to be active in the market beyond trading the eight-year veteran.
They’d do best to try and make some deals that compress the roster and eliminate some of the skills overlap that plagues this lineup. If Billups wants to continue to play small, they’ll need some better wing defenders.
We’d expect Nurkic and Covington and their expiring contracts to go quickly, as will McCollum and his scoring and leadership. Anfernee Simons will be due a big payday this summer and the Blazers may not be able to keep him beyond that point.
We expect to see moves; hopefully they reward the Blazers who have come from the bottom of the roster to shine.