Portland Trail Blazers: Top Five Under 25

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Feb 22, 2022
Portland Trail Blazers
Anfernee Simons, Portland Trail Blazers.

3) CJ Elleby (21)

I recently wrote about how the Portland Trail Blazers need to re-sign the underappreciated CJ Elleby. Another second-round draft pick, Elleby looks to be on his way to being a contributing NBA player. He probably won’t ever be a team’s first, second, or third option on offense. That’s ok because his asset to the offense will be his ability to knock down three-pointers when given the opportunity.

If Elleby can improve his shooting and quick release ability, he will be a useful member of Portland’s rotation. Opposing defenses will have to dedicate one player to stop him from getting open looks. That allows other teammates more space to drive the lane. Elleby can be a free agent after this year, and I’d be hard-pressed to believe that the Portland Trail Blazers would be unable to afford his contract.

2) Nassir Little (22)

Nassir Little is currently out for the remainder of the season with a torn labrum. When he left, Little was having the best year of his career (25.9 minutes, 9.8 points, 5.6 boards, and 1.3 assists per game). Maybe the most fortunate thing about Little’s injury is that it’s to his shoulder and not his legs. He is a very athletic player, and it’s that athleticism that has gotten him this far. Any damage to his lower half could compromise some of that natural ability.

Coming out of college, he drew comparisons to Kawhi Leonard. That should be viewed as Little hitting his max potential. A more familiar to Rip City fans and possibly more accurate comparison is Gerald Wallace. Wallace was never a great three-point shooter, and Little appears to be headed along that same trajectory, although the Blazers forward was nailing a third of his three-point attempts.

Next: Page 4 – Number One

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