5 Takeaways from the Trail Blazers' 5 Summer League games
By Reese Kunz
4. Three-point shooting remains a problem for the Blazers
This past season, the Trail Blazers finished at the bottom of the league in three-point accuracy at 34.4 percent. Swapping Malcolm Brogdon (41.2 percent from three last season) with Deni Avdija (37.4 percent) will also be a shooting downgrade.
Their overall team percentage may improve slightly in the 2024-25 season due to players being healthier and internal improvements. Still, it's apparent they need more offensive weapons to help them space the floor, especially for their young guards like Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, who thrive off of utilizing their athleticism and attacking the paint.
Safe to say, the Blazers won't be receiving much shooting help from their Summer League players. There's been much talk about Clingan's ability to stretch the floor and how his three-point shooting impressed the Blazers in pre-draft workouts. Head coach Chauncey Billups is even considering a Twin Towers lineup with Clingan and Deandre Ayton on the floor together. But Clingan shot just 23.1 percent from beyond the arc on 3.3 attempts per game in the Summer League.
It's great that he's open to working on that aspect of his game, especially in Summer League. But it seems like it could be a while until he improves enough to the point where he should consistently take that shot in more significant regular-season games.