Branden Carlson needed one practice to look like a steal for Blazers

Trail Blazers Media Day was exciting and all, but fans are really ready to see this new-look roster take the court. That happened for the first time on Tuesday, with practice takeaways from The Athletic's Jason Quick via X.

These were Micah Nori's observations that the Blazers head coach shared with Quick, since the media can't see practice outside of free-throw shooting. For the most part, they were pretty predictable takeaways.

By now, we all know former All-Defensive Second Team wing Toumani Camara is good at defending on the perimeter. Scoot Henderson's pace has been a strength of his ever since he was a coveted prospect entering the 2023 NBA Draft. Ja Morant's creation and playmaking were a huge reason Portland surprisingly brought him in this offseason.

So while these day-one practice updates are predictable, it's also reassuring in the sense that the Blazers' offensive moves weren't misguided.

The most encouraging takeaway is the play of former Oklahoma City Thunder big man Branden Carlson. Not only was Carlson the standout performer Nori mentioned, but he was also the least expected update from this group.

Branden Carlson's standout practice proves Blazers made an underrated signing

Generally speaking, it's rarely a bad idea to invest in a former Thunder player who decision-making wizard Sam Presti previously saw value in.

Apparently that's already paid off on the first day, which is huge considering Carlson is still battling for a spot in a Blazers frontcourt that remains crowded.

Carlson isn't necessarily fighting for a spot on the 15-man roster like the non-guaranteed deals of Micah Potter and Jeremy Sochan. Still, it wasn't clear how he would fit into a center rotation that already had Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams III, and Yang Hansen in the mix.

At Media Day, Nori praised Cronin's move to retain Williams this offseason, reaching a three-year, $44 million extension to retain one of the best backups in the league. He even talked about the luxury of rotating Clingan and Williams all 48 minutes at that center rotation if needed.

However, that likely won't come until playoff time, if ever, meaning Carlson should still have a chance to carve out minutes if he can emerge as that third-string center. The fact that he's 27 years old suggests he's already far more developed than the multi-year project that is Hansen, giving Carlson an advantage to win that roster battle.

He also connected on 36 percent of his attempts beyond the arc, which suggests Carlson has upside as a stretch big, which could even open up more minutes if Nori decides to play him at the power forward slot in double big lineups. This is the kind of roster flexibility the Blazers lacked in the frontcourt last season.

Whether it's Carlson or Potter, don't overlook the additions on the margins to this frontcourt this season. Day one of practice just served as the latest reminder that Cronin knows what he's doing, especially when it comes to bigs.

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