According to Ian Begley of SNY TV, the Portland Trail Blazers are reportedly interested in signing Roman Sorkin, who just finished up a solid stint at EuroBasket with Israel. Now, with a few teams around the league interested in his services, the 29-year-old could be nearing a jump to the NBA.
Sorkin has spent the last four years playing at Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv and has yet to make it over stateside. The 6-foot-10 forward is a solid three-point shooter and proved capable of playing big minutes during EuroBasket, as he helped Blazers forward Deni Avdija lead Israel to a decent few games, finding their way into the knockout stages.
But would it work in Portland?
Should the Blazers sign Roman Sorkin?
During Israel’s run at EuroBasket, Sorkin started all but one game—the final game—and was a big-time contributor. Israel won all but three games, eventually losing to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece in the first round of the knockouts.
Sorkin’s EuroBasket run was highlighted by a 31-point, five-rebound game against Iceland, where he shot 13-of-19 from the floor and an impressive 4-of-7 from beyond the three-point line.
In his six appearances for Israel, Sorkin played 29.0 minutes per contest. He averaged 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 51.4% from the floor and 31.8% from beyond the arc on 3.7 three-point attempts per game.
Meanwhile, Sorkin played in 67 games at Tel Aviv this past season, playing 23.8 minutes per contest. He averaged 13.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 49.6% from the floor and 36.0% from distance on 3.0 three-point attempts per game.
Depending on the direction Portland sees itself going in this season, Sorkin could be the perfect player for them to take a chance on. They already have the young core in place, so why not seek out some veteran help?
Though Sorkin has never played in the NBA, he’d still be one of the older guys on Portland’s roster, giving them a solid locker room presence.
Adding some size and three-point shooting to the frontcourt could help keep things open for guys like Shaedon Sharpe, Hansen Yang, and the rest of the team’s young core.
Plus, given the fact that Sorkin played on Israel with Avdija, that relationship could be a valuable thing for Portland to bring into the fold, as it could help keep Avdija at his best.