Blazers Charge Hard, Get Eclipsed by Suns

ThePortland Trail Blazersgave a mighty effort in their second preseason game of the 2023-24 campaign. They fought thePhoenix Sunshard for a quarter before succumbing to depth issues and inexperience. Though Portland fell 122-111, plenty of interesting trends permeated the game. Here are some of the highlights.

Fast Food

The Blazers delivered as advertised in the pace department, at least when they got to play as they wished. The basic M.O. is Deandre Ayton grabbing a rebound, pivoting, and getting the ball out to the first guard or wing in the vicinity. The guy receiving the outlet pass, whomever it may be, charges hard down the court, picking up wingmen as he goes. From there, it’s a drive, a pass to a cutter, or a quick screen by a trailing big, all within two seconds of arriving at the three-point arc.

Whenever the Blazers got down the floor before the Suns got set, they looked great. They were able to spot Ayton on the roll, Jerami Grant or Anfernee Simons for the pass-back three. That’s when Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe weren’t just driving into the teeth of the defense themselves, of course.

Portland couldn’t pull this off every possession. Nor could the bench follow up on the promise of the starters. But dang, when it was good, it was really good.

Ayton of Offense

If this game was any indication, the Blazers aren’t going to let Deandre Ayton wilt on the vine. DA was in the middle of the action with screens on several plays early. The resulting rolls, coupled with cuts when he played off ball, gave the guards plenty of opportunities to get the ball to him. He shot quickly after catching too.

Ayton has got to be pleased with the initial vector in Portland. Not only is he getting respect from his team, the offense is free and easy, with none of the looking over the shoulder he had to endure in Phoenix.

Deandre returned the favor with strong rebounding. He was as mobile as advertised on defense, but his teammates didn’t create enough of a wall to make his patrolling effective. Still, it’s a positive start for Portland’s new center all around.

The asterisk—and it could turn out to be a big one—is that Ayton is being exposed by his teammates on defense and looks primed to pick up extra fouls. Also, once Ayton sat, Portland’s center defense looked pretty sketchy.

Simons Shoots

Anfernee Simons was more steady than flashy in this game, but his quick three-point release was on full display. Whether off screens or catch-and-shoot, a sliver of daylight was enough to bring a distance attempt. They looked good too. It’s a relatively rare skill on this roster. Every make was like a sigh of relief.

Head Coach Chauncey Billups bought Simons extra time and responsibility by making him the captain of the second unit in the first half. He rebounded, ran, set up plays, and shot...almost more comfortably than he did with the first, in fact. Stay tuned for how that sorts out.

Hello, Malcolm Brogdon

Malcolm Brodgon announced his presence by scoring 13 points in his first 5 minutes of play. When you get past the explosiveness of that performance, you see a veteran who’s hustling on every play and knows exactly how to place himself in the sets. Many of his teammates played with energy, but Brogdon showed a compactness that stood out for its rarity.

The Ups and Downs of Scoot

Scoot Henderson had primary ball-handling duties during most of his time on the floor. The elements are all there to boost his star-studded reputation. His handle is an equal mix of effortless and dangerous. His footwork is quick, his head up. Anybody can be intimidating when they elevate at the rim. Henderson looks like a threat when he twitches 24 feet away.

The best way to describe Henderson’s outing is this: he was really good at the Scoot things. Change of direction? Impeccable. Pull-up jumpers and finishes near the cup? Pure. Unselfishness? On full display.

Henderson’s weaknesses were also evident, though. His three-point shot isn’t reliable. The Phoenix defense sagged off of him, clogging up the driving lanes. Scoot got into them and got stuck. He tried to thread passes out of trouble that just don’t work in the NBA. You could see the theoretical play, but in practice six opponent hands hit the ball before it got next to the intended recipient.

There’s little surprising, and absolutely nothing wrong, with any of this. The early season will be a mix of brilliance and figuring it out for Portland’s young point guard.

Rim Running

We talked about Portland’s fast break offense above. After Phoenix shut that off, the game got ugly. But give the Blazers credit. They made every effort to attack the lane and put the ball home, even in the halfcourt. If anything, they probably didn’t pass and pull up enough. Naked aggression might not be a sustainable approach, but it’s a good place for this roster to start.

Ruh Roh

So here’s the bad news: the defense was pretty rough. Let’s forget everything Kevin Durant did. Nobody on Portland’s roster is equipped to stop him. Fair enough.

The Blazers’ starting guards weren’t staying in front of anyone on penetration. The story got even worse when Phoenix screened. Portland looked all but helpless, not really shutting down either player on opposing picks.

With penetration down the lane all but assured for the Suns, passes for open looks and easy chip shots became all too common. When Phoenix exceeded Portland’s pace as the Blazers’ second unit came in, the story got worse.

季前赛比赛是关于探索和发展ent. Wins and losses don’t matter. But the defensive lapses aren’t likely to disappear when the regular season starts. That doesn’t bode well for this young team.

Right now Portland appears to be defending mostly straight up, leaning on each individual to fulfill their responsibility, then charging hard as a team for the rebound. That may be the only approach possible when so many players are learning their roles and how to read defensively. They’ll be doing well to play one man effectively, let alone read the floor and react. But oh boy, they’re going to need help from somewhere. Let’s hope that development comes quickly and that defense remains a key point of emphasis.

On the occasions the Blazers did go to a zone, it appeared to work marginally better. They sure cover space well. Maybe that’s a thin thread of hope? The caveat is, those good times came against the Suns’ second and third units, but any port in a storm.

Up Next

Boxscore

The Blazers will face theUtah Jazzon Saturday evening at 6:00 PM, Pacific.