Since the last edition of this column, the Blazers went 2-2, albeit with a brutal schedule. They dropped a nationally televised game vs Memphis (which was a very entertaining game) then split with the Suns on the road without Dame or Ant, and finally beating the Heat at the buzzer thanks to some Josh Hart heroics. On the surface, 2-2 looks average, but I think most Blazer fans would have taken a 2-2 week without two of your best players not playing in them. With Dame and Simons out, this opened the door for new players to make their way into the Compliment section of this article. Let's get into it.
Compliments to:
Jerami Grant
- Jerami Grant absolutely showed out in the first game against Phoenix with a stat line of 30 points, 5 assists, and 2 rebounds. Grant was the go-to scorer on a thin Blazers squad that was on the road against the number one seeded team in last year's playoffs. Grant effectively led the team all game, and ultimately scored the game-winning jumper (a buzzer beater!). The best part of the entire night was the whole Blazer squad posting up behind Grant as he did his postgame interview -- this was an amazing sight. Grant has had a terrific start in a Portland uniform, and he has shown an ability to score at all three levels and play solid defense. Defensively, Grant is rangy and long enough to defend guards, wings, and stretch bigs. Offensively, he has been willing to spot up from three and get to the rim, where he either finishes or gets fouled. The Blazers lead the entire league in percentage of shots at the rim, and Grant is a big proponent of this.
Justice Winslow
- Every team needs a Justice Winslow type player. He does all the dirty work for this Portland squad. He frequently defends the best opposing player, can initiate the offense as the point guard, and brings physicality and energy to the floor. In the win against Phoenix, he had 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists. That's almost a triple double! I admire how Winslow has played these first few weeks. He did not get much attention at all in the preseason or much of the offseason media chatter. All the talk was about Grant or Sharpe or even Little. Winslow didn't let that affect him, and he has performed on the court like a true professional. He makes winning plays and is a great locker room guy. Compliments to Winslow for his play this past week and for excelling in his role.
Josh Hart
- I was not gonna have Josh Hart in the Compliment section originally, but my goodness did he have a game last night against Miami. At this point, we know Josh Hart won't put up gaudy scoring numbers, but his impact on the team is immeasurable. Last night, Hart finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists -- a near triple double. He played 37 minutes, and he nailed the game winner from the corner as time expired. The crazy thing about the shot is Josh Hart has been adamant about not including the three pointer in his shot profile much this season. However, he didn't think twice about this attempt and calmly buried it at the horn. Similar to Grant, if you make a buzzer beater, you are automatically in the Compliment section. It is so exciting that the Blazers have had 2 buzzer beaters in the past week and neither one had Dame shooting. This team officially has options in the clutch, and that's both refreshing and exciting. Great job to Josh Hart for last night's performance.
Complaints to:
Starting Games
- Similar to turnovers, this has become an issue in every game for the Blazers. Each game, the Blazers get down early and have to crawl their way back into it. The game script right now for Portland is this: go down early, opponent stretches lead to double digits, Blazers rally to close the first half, opponent stretches lead in third, and Blazers furiously comeback to steal the game. While this makes for entertaining games and exhilarating finishes, it is not a sustainable way to win. The Blazers must get out of the gate stronger and play quality basketball for 48 minutes. I believe we have yet to see this squad play their best basketball, and they are 7-3. That is good. But, the Blazers need to start games quicker or the losses could be coming.
Turnovers
- This just might be here forever. Or at least I'm going to keep putting it here until the Blazers rectify it. The Blazers continue to turn the ball over at a high rate, and it is allowing teams to jump out to leads or allowing teams to crawl back into games. Either way, it is making games way harder for Portland than it should be. Last night, the Blazers coughed it up 18 times. I'm not going to go into any analysis about turnovers because I already have on the previous two editions, but just know that the Blazers absolutely need to clean it up.
Alright, folks! The Blazers are 7-3 and currently 2-1 on this road trip. I will take that in a heartbeat. Next up for Portland is a tussle with Charlotte on Wednesday at 4pm PST. Reminder: no NBA games today so everyone can get out and vote! Go Blazers!
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