Jerami Grant has been sidelined since Mar. 9 due to right knee tendinitis. His status for the Portland Trail Blazers' next game against the Boston Celtics is doubtful. But when Grant eventually returns, Chauncey Billups will have a difficult decision to make.
Grant is having a down year in Portland, averaging 14.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, shooting an inefficient 37.3 percent from the field. Since he's been out, the Blazers have been 4-2, including an active four-game winning streak. They suddenly find themselves just two games out of a play-in spot with 11 games remaining. But the best part of the Blazers' push for the play-in is that they've primarily done it because of their young core.
Grant, Deandre Ayton, and Robert Williams III have all been out. Injuries are always unfortunate, but the one silver lining is that it has finally forced the Blazers to lean fully into their young core -- something they should have done a long time ago.
And when Grant returns, Billups should keep it that way by bringing him off the bench.
Jerami Grant should come off the bench for Blazers' play-in push
Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley recently listed the best and worst-case scenarios for each team to finish the season. For Portland, the best-case scenario is making the play-in. The worst-case scenario has been a fear this entire season -- their young core shows minimal progress, and the Blazers enter the offseason with minimal roster clarity as a result.
"It's possible Portland's young players rise to this occasion, but it's probably more likely it falls short. And the worry would be that players the Blazers could try to build around—Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson or even Anfernee Simons—just face-plant through this process and do noticeable damage to their own confidence and the club's belief in them," writes Buckley.
The impending returns of Grant and Ayton threaten to do more harm than good in the sense that they could derail the progress that Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and Donovan Clingan have made. Except for Camara, Portland hasn't made its young core enough of a priority, resulting in inconsistent play throughout the season.
Avdija is playing the best basketball of his career, but the Blazers are also helping him turn that corner by finally making him the focal point of the offense. Henderson, Sharpe, and Clingan are getting increased roles and minutes and have all made more consistent progress instead of showing promising flashes now and then.
It's important that the Blazers make the play-in, but it's also important how they do it. It will be a waste if they rely on Anfernee Simons, Grant, and Ayton down the stretch rather than their future building blocks.
Veterans getting in the way of Portland's youth movement has been one of the most frustrating issues this season. The Blazers are finally doing what they should have done a long time ago. But they can't return to their old ways once Grant returns, especially with how he's played this season and how the team has looked in his absence.