The Portland Trail Blazers have been playing extremely shorthanded as of late, which has contributed to an abrupt halt to a promising start to the season. These injuries have derailed Portland's momentum; they've now lost four of their last five games, resulting in a 9-14 record overall.
Still, there have been a few silver linings as these injuries have forced their remaining healthy players to step outside of their comfort zone into expanded roles and minutes. The obvious positive takeaway is the play of Deni Avdija, who is making a strong case for his first-ever All-Star appearance. However, overlooked players have also stepped up in their respective roles, including French wing Sidy Cissoko.
Trail Blazers hit a home run with Sidy Cissoko
Portland added Cissoko on a two-way contract in February after he was waived by the Washington Wizards following a trade involving the San Antonio Spurs, who initially drafted him with the No. 44 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Portland had to waive Taze Moore in order to clear a spot, but it's absolutely proving to be the correct decision right about now.
At just 21 years old, his best basketball days are clearly still ahead of him. Despite the untapped potential, he's quickly earned the trust of interim head coach Tiago Splitter, who has now started Cissoko in nine of his 18 games played!
On one hand, he currently has limitations as a player, and the fact that Portland has to start a two-way player this early into the season exposes their lack of depth and flawed roster construction. On the other hand, Cissoko hasn't played like your traditional two-way player.
Cissoko is having the best season of his young career, averaging 4.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists on 41/31/67 shooting splits. Those stats admittedly don't jump out at you, and his three-point shot certainly still needs some work. However, he's the ideal role player who impacts winning without the need to fill up the box score, particularly in the scoring department.
A primary reason the Blazers' momentum died down after a hot start to the season was that injuries to underrated role players such as Matisse Thybulle and Blake Wesley ruined their defensive identity. Cissoko has helped fill that void to the best of his ability with the versatility he provides as a 6-foot-6 wing capable of guarding positions one through three.
It remains to be seen if he'll stay in the rotation once Portland is back to full strength, as Thybulle, Jrue Holiday, and Scoot Henderson are all expected to return at some point this December. But more importantly, Cissoko has proven why he deserves to stick around as a long-term piece on Portland's roster going forward, in whatever capacity that may be.
This was a great find by Portland's front office, and it has helped them navigate these brutal injuries to start the season. It may not seem like it now, but if the Blazers do make the play-in this season, we'll look back on this stretch as the reason.
Overlooked players like Cissoko are why this team continues to find ways to stay afloat.