The Portland Trail Blazers finished last season ranked 28th in three-point efficiency, connecting on just 34.3 percent of their attempts. That glaring roster problem predictably carried over into the postseason, after which GM Joe Cronin highlighted it as an area that needs to be addressed this offseason.
Here's who Portland has acquired since then, as well as their respective three-point shooting percentages throughout their careers: Ja Morant (31.1 percent), Branden Carlson (34.9), Micah Potter (38.9), and most recently, Jeremy Sochan (28.6).
Saturday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Portland is bringing in Sochan on a one-year deal. Like Potter, Sochan's deal is non-guaranteed, according to Blazers insider Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report. That means Sochan will have the opportunity to compete for a spot on the 15-man roster in training camp.
Considering that Sochan is a former top ten pick who still has plenty of time to grow at 23 years old, it's a worthwhile flyer for the Blazers to see if he can benefit from a change of scenery to address their lack of forward depth.
But even if Sochan does ultimately land on that 15-man roster, he'll certainly only further exacerbate their existing shooting woes.
Blazers continue to ignore shooting needs this offseason
His inability to shoot is not ideal for the modern NBA, where forwards are almost required to space the floor. As good as he is on the defensive end, he's equally, if not more so, a liability on the offensive end. That's why Sochan's career has unfortunately trended downwards after a strong rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs in 2002-23, as he's struggled to carve out a consistent role and minutes.
In all likelihood, that will remain the case in Portland, especially since they've essentially done nothing to address those previously mentioned floor spacing concerns. They should benefit from internal improvement and, of course, Damian Lillard's anticipated return.
But it was already a strange roster fit as new head coach Micah Nori was going to have his work cut out for him to see how he can fit all these imperfect pieces together to the best of his ability. Should Sochan earn a roster spot, that's even going to be more of the case.
It could be a decent pairing alongside the more offensive-minded Potter if Nori can swap offense for defense in limited stretches. And while it's at least worth bringing Sochan in to see if he can get back to the player he previously was to start his career in San Antonio, the poor shooting fit makes it wise to temper expectations with this signing.
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