Whether it's been Sidy Cissoko or Caleb Love, Portland Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin has found a few two-way signings who turned out to be hidden gems and make surprising contributions. Could Chris Youngblood emerge as that piece for Portland this year?
The Blazers are 5-1 to start the season and coming off one of their most impressive wins -- Monday's 118-110 road victory over the Denver Nuggets. Portland's key pieces lead the way with Donovan Clingan, Jrue Holiday, Deni Avdija, and Damian Lillard all playing well. But with Vit Krejci's early-season struggles and foul trouble in this particular matchup, it's been hard for Micah Nori to find reliable wing options on the bench.
Sidy Cissoko has stepped up even more than expected to help fill that void. But the way Cronin has assembled this wonky roster has already forced Nori to rely on Youngblood for extended stretches in key games like Wednesday.
Fortunately, Youngblood rose to the occasion, contributing 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist in just 15 minutes. Most importantly, he was a team-high +22 in that limited action, providing Portland much-needed energy and wing depth off the bench.
Chris Youngblood is helping Portland's wing depth
At 6-foot-4, Youngblood should be considered more of a guard than a forward, but he fits the mold of players Cronin has brought in with his defense, ball-handling, decision-making, and versatility. Youngblood has some Holiday in his game, and his positional versatility lets him fit into multiple lineup combinations.
Youngblood has played just two of Portland's six games so far, but is averaging career highs in points (5.0) and minutes (11.0) per game. The key to cracking Nori's rotation more consistently will be developing a more reliable three-point shot. He's shooting 31.7 percent from beyond the arc in his career, which is an offensive liability when Portland needs to space the floor for Deni Avdija's downhill game.
Cissoko has done a great job of developing into a more consistent floor spacer, and hopefully Youngblood can take a similar leap. He's currently on a two-way deal, but Portland did leave one spot open on its 15-man roster after waiving Jeremy Sochan. Could Youngblood be the one to take that final spot if he follows a similar path to Cissoko, whose two-way contract converted to a standard one last season?
He still has a way to go before reaching that level of impact for Portland, but his contribution in Wednesday's win is encouraging for Youngblood's future with the Blazers. Hopefully he turns into the next steal for Cronin, because they desperately could use more help on the wing. If what Youngblood showed Wednesday can become a consistent rotational piece, it would be a huge, unexpected boost to Portland's season.
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