There was no shortage of takeaways after Wednesday’s opening night heartbreaker; Jerami Grant’s transition to bench phenom, Deni Avdija’s slashing clinic, and Jrue Holiday’s Trail Blazers debut were chief among them.
With that said, one of the underrated stories of the night was what we didn’t see. Wednesday’s Blazers were without a handful of critical depth pieces that are meant to round out the roster, and Coach Billups had to dip a little deeper into the reserves to fill out those minutes.
One of the most surprising and tantalizing performances of the night came from newcomer Blake Wesley, who gave some exhilarating play in just 15 minutes, finishing with a -2 in a game Portland lost by four.
Blake Wesley is perfect for Portland's defensive identity
Scoot Henderson’s hamstring tear has forced Portland to take an extended look at its deeper bench, with Holiday and Wesley soaking up all 48 minutes at the point guard position. Holiday’s reputation as an excellent defender is well-earned, but newcomer Wesley looked every bit as tenacious, snaring two steals and affecting countless possessions while committing just one foul.
Minnesota employed four different point guards in the win, one of them being the out-of-position Anthony Edwards for just under eight minutes. While Edwards got his all night, the remaining committee scored just 12 points and turned the ball over eight times between the 40 minutes they played.
Wesley’s scrappy, handsy defense played a huge role in that, forcing turnovers and picking up assignments well into the backcourt. His lone personal foul seemed almost like a mercy whistle, as Wesley guarded opponents with equal physicality all night.
Since the departure of Damian Lillard, especially with last offseason’s impending and then very real jettisoning of Anfernee Simons, Portland has struggled with quality point guard depth. Typically, a Blazers game absent a primary or secondary option at the point results in the second man up to be relentlessly hunted on defense and a means to an end on offense. Not so with Wesley.
There’s something to be said for the rare player that actually looks their agent in the eye and says, “Get me to Portland. I want to be a Blazer.” Wesley took up the mantle and played like a guy who wants to be in Portland, and it showed tremendously.
While Portland ultimately lost the game, it was more a reflection of just how good Anthony Edwards is rather than what the Blazers brought. With Scoot’s timeline largely up in the air for now, Wesley will get plenty more opportunities to express how happy he is to be a Blazer.