The Portland Trail Blazers absolutely nailed the final addition to their 15-man roster by signing Blake Wesley. Through four games, Wesley is averaging 5.3 points, 3.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals on 36/0/63 shooting splits. Those admittedly aren't jaw-dropping numbers, but those who actually watch Blazers games know how impactful Wesley's two-way presence has been.
With Damian Lillard and Scoot Henderson both sidelined, one of the most significant question marks entering the season was Portland's lack of backcourt depth. Wesley has exceeded expectations, stepping up in an increased role to help fill the void.
It's rare for a guard to carve out a role without effectively being able to space the floor, but Wesley has done just that. He's the perfect fit for the style of play Joe Cronin, Chauncey Billups, and now Tiago Splitter have envisioned with this Blazers roster.
Blake Wesley is proving to be a perfect fit in Portland
Wesley is the definition of a defensive pest, picking up opposing teams' guards the length of the court. Even when he's not forcing turnovers, he's making life difficult in terms of teams getting into their sets later in the shot clock. Offensively, he's one of the quickest guards in the league and utilizes that by pushing the pace at a million miles an hour. Those are the traits that Wesley offers, which don't always show up in the box score.
Wesley was the No. 25 overall selection by the San Antonio Spurs back in 2022. This offseason, San Antonio traded him to the Washington Wizards as part of the Kelly Olynyk deal. It seemed like a great low-risk flyer for a rebuilding Wizards team to acquire a former first-round pick, but Wesley was waived before playing a game with the franchise. It worked out in both the Blazers' and Wesley's favor, as the two have become a perfect match.
Because of his offensive limitations, Wesley needed to find an ideal landing spot on a team that would allow him to play to his strengths. From that standpoint, there's no better fit in the entire league than the Blazers.
Splitter should reconsider some of the lineup rotations when Wesley is on the court. For instance, it's incredibly easy on defenses when Wesley and Kris Murray are both out there shrinking the floor at the same time. But when Wesley plays alongside two-way players who are better shooters, such as Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, or Matisse Thybulle, it gives the Blazers an elite defense with just enough offense to hold their own.
Four games into the season, it's already apparent that Portland is going to compete on a nightly basis. Offense can be sporadic as shots may not fall, but effort and defensive execution are controllable. It's because of underrated additions like Wesley that the Blazers have the foundation to fight for a play-in spot this season, even out West.