The Portland Trail Blazers always knew Rayan Rupert would be a project when they took a low-risk flyer on the French prospect with the No. 43 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Unfortunately, given Rupert's lack of progress in Year 3, the Blazers should strongly consider pulling the plug on this experiment.
This season, Rupert is averaging a career-low 1.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.3 assists, and 0.5 steals in just 8.0 minutes per game. Portland has been extremely shorthanded to start the season, with nearly half of its roster showing up on the injury report as of late. Ideally, that would've presented an opportunity for young guys like Rupert to step up in increased roles, showcasing the development they've made. Instead, having Rupert on the end of the bench has had the opposite effect, as it means one less playable asset on the 15-man roster.
It's time for the Blazers to move on from Rayan Rupert
The Blazers essentially have a 13-man roster when factoring in Damian Lillard and rookie Yang Hansen, Portland's latest project. But the ceilings of Hansen and Rupert are at entirely different levels, and Portland can't afford to roster this many players who can't make an immediate impact. Interim head coach Tiago Splitter has even relied on two-way players Sidy Cissoko and Caleb Love over Rupert, exposing just how much further he has to go in order to make an impact on this roster.
Understandably, Portland has held onto him for this long, as the idea of Rupert's potential is intriguing. He's somewhat of a point-forward hybrid as a 6-foot-7 guard who is a willing passer and capable ballhandler. Defensively, he also possesses versatility with that frame, which includes a 7-foot-3 wingspan. But the idea of Rupert as a player isn't reality, and he hasn't shown enough progress over three seasons to make the Blazers feel confident he'll ultimately reach that potential.
Rupert is on an expiring contract as the Blazers picked up his $2.2 million team option for this season. Portland can extend a qualifying offer to Rupert, making him a restricted free agent this summer. But, unless he drastically improves his play this season -- which seems unlikely at this point -- the Blazers are better off just cutting ties.
If he wasn't able to crack the rotation following the Blazers' laundry list of injuries, I'm not convinced he ever will. Portland actually has underrated depth when they're at full strength, and the combination of Rupert's underwhelming play and expiring contract may soon make him the odd man out.