The Portland Trail Blazers claimed Micah Potter off waivers on Friday in a move that finally addresses their shooting woes. It's an under-the-radar move to add a stretch big who is coming off the best season of his career with the Indiana Pacers.
Potter benefited from an increased role during Indiana's injury-riddled gap year, averaging 9.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on efficient 52/42/84 shooting splits. He was ultimately a casualty of Indiana's financial crunch as they waived Potter on Wednesday, creating enough space to sign Larry Nance Jr.
Their loss was Portland's gain, with this being exactly the type of player they needed to round out the roster.
Blazers desperately needed someone like Micah Potter
Potter is a 6-foot-9 big capable of playing both power forward and center. He played 92 percent of last season with the Pacers at center, but was a 48-52 split between the four and five the year prior in Utah.
The Blazers desperately need his floor spacing, but will also benefit from that positional versatility as a team that faces a lot of uncertainty in the frontcourt.
Portland has insurance for Robert Williams' injury concerns when it comes to his new contract, with only the first season being fully guaranteed. Still, that doesn't change the fact that Portland's depth will be hurting should he unfortunately suffer another injury. Yang Hansen isn't ready to fill the void, and quite frankly may never be.
They addressed this issue to an extent with the signing of former Oklahoma City Thunder big man Branden Carlson, but now head coach Micah Nori has another option at his disposal. Carlson shows shooting promise and can potentially play the four in a double-big lineup, but Potter is more proven in that regard.
Portland continues to prioritize offense this summer
If Nori wants more size and rim protection, he can call Carlson off the bench. If he needs more floor spacing on offense (which he will), then Potter is the better option.
This is just the latest signing that signals a shift in the Blazers' roster construction. They've shied away from their defensive identity by acquiring Ja Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies, raising questions about how he'll fit alongside Damian Lillard as Portland's projected starting guards.
Leaning into that side of the ball wasn't going to be a winning formula unless they added more shooting as a team that has consistently ranked near the bottom in three-point efficiency throughout this entire rebuild. As a marginal move, Potter isn't the solution to that problem, but he's certainly a step in the right direction.
This was a sneaky pickup for Portland to come away with someone coming off a career year who should be a seamless offensive fit in limited stretches.
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