Since the last edition of "Compliments and Complaints", the Blazers went 2-1 and improved their record t0 5-1 on the year, which is good enough to be tied for the #1 seed in the Western Conference. I mean, who saw that coming? The Blazers defeated the Nuggets, lost their first game of the year to the Heat, and then beat the Rockets without Damian Lillard. What's even better is the Blazers handily defeated Denver and Houston, which was a nice change from the nail-biters we had in the first 3 games of the year. Getting out to a 5-1 start is huge for Portland since they're about to go on a brutal 6 game road trip. This past week saw fantastic performances from a few players that helped them earn a compliment. Let's jump into it.
Compliments to:
Anfernee Simons
- 22 in a quarter? 6 threes? No problem for Mr. Simons. Anfernee Simons reminded us why he is such a special shooter with an electric 12 minutes that had the Moda Center bouncing. Simons has had his fair share of shooting struggles in this young season, but he erupted in the 3rd quarter against Denver, which effectively put the game to bed. Simons couldn't miss -- he was hitting threes off the dribble, off of screens, and when spotting up. It was an incredible performance. In addition, Simons effectively led the Blazers to a win against Houston without Lillard on the floor -- he managed that game extremely well, scoring 30 points and dishing out 7 assists. Hopefully, these performances give Simons more confidence because it elevates this Blazers squad to another level. Simons' shooting prowess opens up the floor for players like Grant and Hart to drive to the cup where they can attack the rim and finish or get fouled. The Blazers lead the league in free throw rate thanks to the aggression of Hart and Grant. Now, imagine Simons nailing threes: it opens up the lane so much more for the Blazer wings. A world of opportunities are presented when Simons is playing at a high level.
Shaedon Sharpe
- There were quite a few media members and draft experts claiming that drafting Shaedon Sharpe at #7 could wind up being a steal. Well, Sharpe put the league on notice this past week with some highlight plays. He got the start in place of Damian Lillard against the Rockets, and he scored 14 points on 7-12 shooting. Let's just say he had a few highlight dunks. The biggest one of the night came when Keon Johnson lobbed it up in transition and Sharpe threw it down. Moda erupted and Lillard's facial expression portrayed amazement, excitement, and bewilderment all in one. Highlight dunks aside, Sharpe played an excellent game versus the Rockets, and as a rookie, he looks comfortable shooting the ball and playing defense. He stays in front of his man, and he held his own in the post. For example, on the opening play of the game, the Rockets hunted Sharpe and got Jabari Smith Jr the ball on Sharpe in the post; Sharpe did an excellent job of forcing a tough turnaround jumper that Smith Jr. missed. Compliments to Sharpe for plugging into the starting lineup and looking like he belonged, and of course for bringing the house down a few times.
Complaints to:
Turnovers
- A familiar topic reappears on the complaint list. Turnovers have continued to kill Portland, and it was one of the main reasons why they lost to Miami. Here's a stat that sums up the Miami game: the Heat were up by 5 at halftime. They stretched that lead to 14 points by the end of the 3rd quarter. In the 3rd quarter alone, the Heat scored 10 points off of Blazer turnovers. Brutal stuff. Turnovers can be so frustrating to watch because a lot of it preventable -- making better decisions and higher quality passes tend to decrease the turnovers. I want to give credit to the Heat: they were desperate to win that game, and they sported active hands and long defenders on the perimeter. However, it's still not an excuse for Portland. They are turning 0ver the ball 16% of the time, which is 26th in the league. In other words, 1 out of every about 6 possessions are a turnover. An underrated problem with these turnovers is that a lot of them are live ball turnovers. Obviously, all turnovers are terrible, but coaches prefer dead ball turnovers because it allows you to set your defense rather than the other team running with numbers in transition. The Blazers are allowing teams to get out and run 17% of the time, which is 6th worst in the league -- a lot of those transition plays are due to turnovers. The Blazers will need to cut down on turnovers if they want to legitimize their place in the Western Conference.
This week, the Blazers play Memphis at home, and then play Phoenix twice on the road back-to-back nights. Thanks NBA scheduling. Let me know in the comments who you think will step up this week and earn a compliment. Go Blazers!
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