3 Reasons the Trail Blazers should bring back Dalano Banton next season

Reason No. 3: Banton fits Portland's rebuilding timeline

Banton is only 24 years old and fits well with the direction in which the Blazers are taking their roster. While he'll likely never become a consistent starting-level player, there's reason to keep a player of Banton's archetype as a lengthy, versatile guard in Portland's rebuilding plans, even if that means making another move to clear roster space room for him.

Banton's most considerable weakness in his game is his shooting, connecting on just 40.4 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from three last season. But he's a hard worker who has progressed as a shooter since entering the league - Banton only shot 25.5 percent from three his rookie season with the Raptors.

Another aspect of Banton's game he can improve on is his decision-making skills, especially if he wants to have a long NBA career as a guard. In the 30 games with the Blazers, Banton averaged 3.6 assists and 2.2 turnovers per game, which is not an ideal assist-to-turnover ratio. One good thing to note regarding Banton's decision-making is that the Blazers put him in a more prominent role due to their injuries.

In other words, if he were to stay next season, Banton wouldn't be relied on as heavily to initiate the offense and would be more of a situational role player, which is a better fit given his current skill set. The Blazers shouldn't be in any rush to contend. Banton is a low-risk flyer that the Blazers should take a chance on and be patient with as he continues improving his shooting and playmaking.