FanPost

Future of the Blazers Roster

Of course this is all entirely conjecture, but it is fun to wonder at the direction this Blazer's squad will take after the playoffs are over.

What is likely?

-Lillard, CJ, Nurkic are the mainstays. Their contracts, level of play, and connectivity on and off the court guarantee they will be together in Portland next season.

Runner's up?

-Harkless, Vonleh, Crabbe, Aminu, Turner.

+Harkless: Not always the guy getting the big scoring numbers but with the offense flowing mostly through Lillard, CJ and Nurkic that's hardly a surprise (until the offensive lens of this team broadens that will likely remain the same for most players outside that trio). His job this season has mostly been to pick up the tough defensive assignments, and to put up numbers anywhere else he can on the stat board which he does admirably. His contract is also not one of those that is dragging Portland into the dark depths of the luxury tax.

+Vonleh: With Nurkic on the court Vonleh shines brightest, but he is still capable at defending and rebounding on his own. Again, with most of his offensive looks being opportunistic he is not the biggest scoring threat but he is playing at a higher level and with more confidence on and off the court as an individual than he has shown before. His contract is also favorable for the Blazers.

+Crabbe: Looks like a block of butter on the court. When he's warm he's smooth and fluid, complimenting his teammates play. When he's cold he doesn't enhance any of his teammates play and does what a block of cold butter does: Sits in the fridge and waits for an opportunity to be heated up. Outside of shooting, he doesn't have a significant impact on any other statistical categories. His contract is not favorable to the Blazers going forward. The bench needs consistency if the team wants to contend. Anybody's guess here what happens.

+Aminu: While most of us cringe when Aminu gets the ball in his hands and dribbles (and sometimes shoots), he does have a nose for rebounding the ball and playing great defense. At the very least he's reliable for what he's good at and that makes him a good NBA stretch 4 either as a starter or role player. His contract is favorable to the Blazers going forward.

+Turner: He may not be the most-loved acquisition during this last off-season spending spree, but in my opinion, he is the closest to earning his contract. While that may sound like a stretch, consider this: His defense, passing and ball handling are all fairly reliable. No he's not the best scorer on this team, no he is still not the 'best' fit for this team. But there are hardly any other role player's like him available in the league for a cheaper price. If ET can expand a little bit on his game and be the jack-of-all trades Portland needs, he will likely have a future with this team. We all know his contract situation (feel free to roll your eyes here).

Best Guess?

Napier, Leonard, Davis, Ezeli

+Napier: I have to bite my tongue here since I wrote an article earlier this season questioning the decision to bring Napier in as a back-up to Dame. He's seen very little time against other starting point guards in the league, but he has shown a hard work ethic and the ability to play defense (steals), something the starting backcourt lacked for most of the season. While he has also shown great scoring potential, it's been a small sample size, so nothing is certain there yet. He is small, not Isaiah Thomas small, nor will he likely ever be THAT good in a backup role but he could carve out a spot on this Blazers team.

+Leonard: There have been countless references to his rookie summer league performance on here. He is also reportedly experiencing some recent hip and back issues. He also was a far cry from earning the paycheck he received last summer, and the numbers he should have been getting when he was healthy and playing behind Plumlee were not inspiring. While Nurkic is easily the best big man the Blazers have right now, he can't play all the minutes himself without risking repeat injuries. It's also not a very convincing argument to have Leonard be the main back-up. The Blazer's may choose to keep him, I just don't know why at this point.

+Davis: After fading and then falling hard to a level most did not anticipate from his numbers and productivity the previous season; phys-ed has been out of the picture most of this season. He was finally moved from the bench to the injured player list after it was reported he was having issued with his shoulder. I have no idea what his current value to the organization is going forward, but I do know that others have stepped up in his absence and improved.

+Ezeli: Surprised? Wouldn't blame you if you were. Ezeli has not had the season anybody expected or hoped from him. Even still, I never truly bought into the idea that there was bad blood between him and the Blazer's organization or players. If you still question that relationship or Ezeli's intentions, you should read the article Steve Dewald authored on him recently here on BE. In my personal opinion, if he makes a full recovery by next season, I don't see why the Blazers shouldn't try him out. He's on an extremely low contract for this next season and if he is anything like he was for Golden State, you have a pretty good defensive center playing for a future guaranteed contract as a back-up to Nurkic. Those guys are both beasts in their own right when they are healthy and on the floor.

(Side note: If the Blazer's, and you, believe that they still need a meyer's-esque center that can stretch the floor and shoot 3 pointers, there is a draft coming up soon. You can never have too many talented big men on a team where injuries to those players is frequent).

For all the other players on the team, I don't think there is much I can say, Patcon, Layman and Quarterman are all either projects or trade filler.

Thanks for reading everybody! This is again, what i am seeing through my lens of this team and it's players. If you feel you can add or retract anything from this article please leave a comment below, good or bad.