Portland Trail Blazers: Underappreciated forward needs to be re-signed
The Portland Trail Blazers have several key players hitting free agency. There is one under-the-radar forward that they should bring back.
The Portland Trail Blazers have several important players hitting the free-agent market after the season. Unfortunately, the team won’t be able to bring them all back. Then again, the team may not want all of them back, or the players may not want to return to Rip City. However, one player the Portland Trail Blazers need to consider bringing back is CJ Elleby.
Full disclosure, when former Blazers General Manager Neil Olshey selected the lanky 6’6″ forward from Washington State University with the 46th overall pick in 2020, I was completely against it. The kid had enough talent to be signed as an undrafted free agent and invited to the summer league.
There were other players still on the board that the Portland Trail Blazers should have drafted. For example, Kenyon Martin Jr., Cassius Winston, Nico Mannion, or Cassius Stanley. So the Blazers could still have gotten Elleby and added someone else that could come in and contribute.
Showing Promise
Well, like any great GM, I made a mistake; it happens. It may be hard for some to see, but Elleby has improved from year one to year two. A couple of the best ways to tell are his Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%) and Player Efficiency Rating (PER). The eFG% is a stat that adjusts because a three-point field goal is worth one more point than a two-point field goal. The PER is a measure of per-minute production standardized to the league average of 15. In both of these statistical cases, Elleby has improved; .432 to .511 eFG% and 9.4 to 12.7 PER.
CJ Elleby is the man of the hour. #RipCity pic.twitter.com/K3TZfBnBSQ
— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) February 5, 2021
It’s this kind of growth and development, in only about 11-minutes per game, that the Portland Trail Blazers need to reward. It conveys to everyone that putting in hard work to improve is valued and desired. For a franchise that many players don’t consider a “destination,” this is one way the organization can continue to compete.
At this point, expecting Elleby to be a perennial All-Star is more than wishful thinking. However, I can see him becoming another Duncan Robinson type. Consequently, if Elleby becomes that type of player, he’d be a huge asset to the Portland Trail Blazers for years to come. It’s worth taking the chance.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roijjEzswwo
Do you think the Portland Trail Blazers should re-sign CJ Elleby? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.