The Portland Trail Blazers have approximately 1.5 point guards on their roster between Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday. We thought they'd address the position with their final roster spot, but Portland elected to sign off-ball guard Blake Wesley instead. This move signaled the Blazers' confidence in the ascending Henderson, but they could still use more playmaking help regardless.
One unconventional solution that Chauncey Billups should experiment with is playing Deni Avdija at point guard. He checks all the boxes for a modern-day point guard with his size, ball-handling, speed, court vision, and floor spacing ability.
Blazers should experiment with Deni Avdija at point guard
Avdija is entrenched as the Blazers' go-to option -- the offense should mainly run through him. That was apparent down the stretch of last season, as he took on more of a point-forward role. But Portland's offseason moves made this even clearer, sacrificing offense for defense in almost every roster decision Joe Cronin made.
Portland should be a top ten defense in the league next season. Playing Avdija at the one would make them virtually impossible to score against. He's a versatile defender at 6-foot-9, and would make the Blazers switchable at positions one through four with Donovan Clingan anchoring the middle.
Of course, few defend better than Holiday out on the perimeter, and he could still be the point of attack defender. But offensively, Holiday isn't a consistent enough playmaker to be relied on as the primary offensive initiator, especially at 35. Avdija would be the better option to initiate the Blazers' offense and should be the backup to Henderson. He could even start at point guard if Billups plays two of Holiday/Jerami Grant/Shaedon Sharpe instead of Henderson.
This switch would give Portland's rotations a lot more flexibility. It also plays right into the style of offense Billups wants to emphasize. The Blazers want to utilize their length, athleticism, and elite defense by getting stops that lead to transition opportunities. What better way to initiate a fastbreak than having Turbo leading the charge?
The downside to this would be Avdija's turnovers, as he averaged 3.9 assists and 2.7 turnovers in his first year with the Blazers. But there's a reason Avdija had career highs in nearly every statistical category last season. Portland decided to let Avdija play freely, living with the pros and cons that come with his controlled chaos.
"To be a good playmaker, you have to be aggressive," Billups said, via Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. "You have to play with force.… Deni's had some games … he had 10 turnovers one time. These are positions he hadn't been in before. You fall and bump your head a few times before you can learn. Now, this thing is kind of slowing down for him where he's able to make some of those plays."
Avdija is only 24 years old and still adjusting to this point-forward role that the Blazers have created for him. That will result in turnovers and other growing pains, but it's also a necessary step for the evolution of Portland's offense, which is at its best when Deni has the ball in his hands.
The Blazers need to look for bold and creative solutions to address their lackluster offense, and having Avdija as their floor general could raise both his and Portland's ceiling.