Anfernee Simons, Portland Trail Blazers.
The Portland Trail Blazers are in a very unique situation. Two of their three stars are not currently playing in Portland. CJ McCollum was traded to New Orleans before the NBA trade deadline. This trade is shaping up to be a win-win for both teams. However, you could say the Blazers got a bigger return of Hart in the deal. That’s Josh Hart for those that didn’t get the awesome joke.
Getting back on topic here, Damian Lillard is still out with injury, leaving only Jusuf Nurkic as the lone veteran star for the Portland Trail Blazers. While most thought this turn of events would mean the Blazers will be losing more games than they’ll win, the opposite is happening. The Blazers went into the All-Star break on a four-game winning streak. All while getting a really good look at some of the less-heralded and younger players.
The Portland Trail Blazers currently have seven guys on the roster who are under 25-years old. It’s with this in mind that we look at the next wave of Rip City players. Even though Brandon Williams is under 25, he won’t make the list as he’s hardly got any playing time.
The “old man” of this group Elijah Hughes (23), missed the top five. He is a guy who needed this situation to happen to get some playing time. Unfortunately, the results haven’t been great for him. In the three games he’s played for Portland, he’s getting 14 minutes a game shooting a putrid .176 percent from the field for two points a game. Along with zero free throw attempts, 2.7 rebounds, an assist, and .7 blocks per game.
Coming out of college, he drew comparisons to Malik Beasley. It took Beasley a little time to get going in the NBA. So maybe there’s hope for Hughes as well. As of now, he’ll need to vastly improve his performance with any amount of minutes he gets if he wants to be a part of the Portland Trail Blazers beyond this year.
First up is Trendon Watford coming in at 6’9” and 240lbs. Currently, he is the backup to Nurkic as the Blazers center. Coming out of LSU, after just two years, Watford went undrafted. His scouting report shows some intriguing traits and skills. However, he needs to refine those skills if he’s going to be an NBA rotation player.
For example, his height does not make him a traditional NBA center. The last center that was the same height and succeeded was Coach Chauncey Billups’ teammate Ben Wallace. Could Watford be this era’s Wallace? Possibly, but it will take a lot of hard work. Watford is also more of a modern face-up big man and not your classic low block, back to the basket, big. His current averages leave much to be desired.
However, using some advanced analytics, specifically his Per-36, meaning if he got 36 minutes a game, his stat line would look like. Here we can see some very appealing productivity, with a field goal percentage of .590, 9.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, just under 1.7 blocks, 0.9 steals, and 12.9 points per game. Those are some very intriguing numbers from an undersized center.
The next “big” guy is Greg Brown III. Another forward who stands 6’9” but comes in at a wiry 205-pounds. Unlike his fellow rookie in Watford, Brown was a second-round draft pick (43rd overall) by New Orleans. Over the summer, the Portland Trail Blazers traded a 2026 second-round pick to acquire Brown.
Brown is a very raw NBA player. His best ability so far is as a versatile athletic defender. My colleague Teresa Powe (check out her amazing work) first put Brown on my radar. She watched him in summer league and was excited about his future.
Summer league production should be taken lightly as \ players who look strong in Vegas don’t pan out. However, it is a place for players to earn an opportunity. Brown appears to be a guy who might make the most of his chance and work out for the Portland Trail Blazers.
His Per-36 comes out to be .432 percent shooting from the field, 9.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.6 blocks, and 15.2 points. The ceiling for Brown might be that of a three-and-D player. However, if he can defend anyone from the shooting guard to the power forward and maybe the center, he’d be a huge weapon for the team.
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.
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.
Was this any bit of a surprise? It shouldn’t be to anyone who watched the Blazers play over the last few months. Anfernee Simons is having his best year, almost Dame-like. He is looking like the player many scouts thought he could develop into. Heading into the draft, many scouts saw Simons as a combo guard. Drawing comparisons to Monta Ellis. Man, I really enjoyed watching Ellis play.
Simons has seen a significant increase in his playing time this year. First, it was Lillard out with an abdominal injury, then McCollum missed time due to a collapsed lung. With those stars out of action, it gave Simons a chance to show great individual productivity.
Once McCollum came back, Rip City fans got to see how Simons handled playing alongside a very talented NBA guard. Now that he’s back to being the Portland Trail Blazers lead-guard (although with some much better complimentary help this time around), the team is flourishing.
Blazers fans should be very excited about the future. A backcourt of Lillard and Simons along with Hart, Justise Winslow, and (possibly) Nurkic makes for a very appealing starting group. Add in a healthy return of Little with another year of seasoning for Elleby, and Portland has a good seven-man rotation. Also, include a full off-season of NBA development for Brown, Watford, Hughes, and maybe Williams, and they have a nice roster with not too much mileage on it.
I also forgot the two first-round draft picks the Portland Trail Blazers will have, along with their glorious cap space. The future looks bright for this organization. These young players can be the future core for the Portland Trail Blazers once the Lillard era is over.