Notable Quotes from Trail Blazers Training Camp

ThePortland Trail Blazerswrapped up training camp in Santa Barbara, California, on Saturday. The California excursion brought the new future of the franchise into focus, as Head Coach Chauncey Billups, staff and players got a feel for a new-look roster that includes several rookies and new additions.

The team held media availability sessions for Billups and players after each day of camp. They gave their initial impressions of new teammates and how the roster was gelling in their first official practices. The coach and players also gave forecasts of what the new, youthful Trail Blazers could do this upcoming season.

Maybe most telling of Portland turning a new chapter, this writer only counted three questions from themedia availability videos直接涉及前开拓者球星Damian Lillard, who was traded at the end of September to theMilwaukee Bucks. After Trail Blazers Media Day included much conversation about the departure of the franchise star and the summer’s transactions, the training camp media sessions dealt with the infrastructure left in Lillard’s absence. The past is beginning to stay in the past, as the team marches forward to a new season, touting a new identity of youth and speed.

Along with Billups, the sessions included appearances from Scoot Henderson, Deandre Ayton, Anfernee Simons, Matisse Thybulle, Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III. So before we move into Trail Blazers Fan Fest and preseason games, here are the best quotes from three days worth of practice and interviews:

A Whole Lot of Praise for Scoot

Aytonon his initial impressionsof playing with Henderson:

“Oh, that kid’s fast. He’s fast, he’s a great facilitator, and he can get to the rim any time he wants. ... The way how he facilitates and pushes the ball down the floor is crazy. ... He’s also super competitive, especially on the defensive end.”

Williams IIIputting his observationsabout Henderson’s game a little more bluntly:

“Mother****** [is] fast. He’s fast as hell, man. Just watching him on defense, his intensity, even just looking at his eyes sometimes when Malcolm was dribbling the ball, looking at his eyes, the focus that he had, it was crazy.”

Brogdon, who is expected to play a mentorship role for Henderson this season,on his expectationsfor the 19-year-old rookie:

“I think he’s gonna have a special first year, but I think he’s gonna be a special player in this NBA. The biggest thing I’ve observed from him is not really his talent — I think he’s incredibly talented — I think he’s actually extremely coachable and humble, and that goes way further than your talent in this league. Then once you pair ‘em, and you learn the speed of the game and you find the team that really values you, you can be a special, dynamic player for a long time, so I think he has potential to do that.”

Billupson Henderson’s willingnessto shoot the ball:

“What I love about him is when the ball is swung to him, he’s not hesitating. He’s not gun-shy at all. He’ll shoot it. ... That’s the kind of confidence you need. He’s going to be just fine with his shooting.”

ThybullediscussingHenderson’s impact on the defensive end so far during practices:

“The thing I think that’s been the coolest thing to see is when we’ve been in more situational scrimmage play where teams need stops, teams need buckets, Scoot has been the guy coming up with a lot of the stops. And I think oftentimes you come in as a scorer and everyone wants to talk about how fast you are, but that athleticism on the defensive end has been a game-changer for his teams a lot of the time.”

Speaking of Defense...

Thybulle on how the team’s new additions, namely athletic centers Ayton and Williams III, have already improved Portland’s defense:

“Me and [Assistant Coach Roy Rogers] were talking after practice about how much better we look already defensively. Then also talking for me, my preferences, and just being able to have a scary big down there to funnel guards into that want nothing to do with them. And between Rob, [Ayton], were huge. It’s kind of ridiculous when you see the size we have now.”

Billupshad high praisefor Thybulle’s play on the defensive end in camp, potentially giving him a new nickname or two in the process:

“He’s just a wizard out there. He’s all over the place. I’m telling you, you can barely even complete a pass around this dude, he’s getting deflections, steals, he’s knocking it out of bounds. He’s an artist.”

Billups’ Impressions of the New Additions, Shaedon Sharpe’s Second-Year Jump

Billups on the impact of acquiring centers who possess the playoff experience of Williams III and Ayton:

“I just think it’s crazy that, one, you can talk about the athleticism of our fives, but these guys are 25 years old and both of them have played in theNBA finals. It’s incredible, so just the experience that they have, that they can bring to our team, it’s going to mean a ton.”

Billups on rookie forward Toumani Camara, who the Blazers acquired in the Lillard trade with thePhoenix Suns:

“I’ve been very impressed by Toumani. He’s just a basketball player, man. He’s in the right places. Without talking to him, our very first scrimmage he was picking up Ant full court. He’s got a great feel about him and a toughness about him.”

Billups says Sharpe is “light-years” ahead of where he was when he came into his first NBA training camp last season:

“Shae was asking me questions last season, if this guy could shoot, and it was one of the best shooters in the league. He had no understanding. Didn’t watch a lot of NBA basketball. Now, he’s the one talking on the back line of the defense and telling Scoot to sink when he’s out of position. He’s light-years ahead of where he was last year. He’s aggressive on the offensive end, he’s attacking off the dribble, it’s almost like he grew two years in one.”

One More for the Road

Billups on who will start at small forward to start the season:

“It’s open. Obviously, we’re not very deep at that position, but it’s open. We’ll see what happens.”