Blazers' Guard Out for Four to Six Weeks!

By on

        With Damian Lillard officially out of Portland, Anfernee Simons is looking to be new face of the franchise along with rookie Guard Scoot Henderson. Simons has shown many offensive flashes but was a bit held back with the ball primarily being placed in Damian Lillard's hands. In the eleven games Simons played without Damian Lillard last season he averaged 28 points per game shooting 46% from the field and 41% from 3 point range, 3 rebounds and 6 assists. Simons has so much potential and now with Lillard in Milwaukee, he has a great opportunity to grow his game. 



        This season was the first in over a decade that the Portland Trail Blazers did not have Damian Lillard on their roster. This year the Blazers opened the new season against the Los Angeles Clippers in LA. Against the Clippers, Simons played for 27 minutes, scored 18 points shooting 6 of 14 from the field (42%) and 2 of 6 from 3 point range (33%). Of course it's still extremely early into the new season and Anfernee is more than capable of having better offensive nights, however it was recently announced that Anfernee Simons will be out for four to six weeks after undergoing surgery for a UCL tear in his right thumb. 



        The Portland Trail Blazers are not expected to compete for a championship or even make the playoffs, according to majority of NBA fans, so while it does suck that they lose Simons for some time it is not like their season is in any jeopardy. With Simons sidelined for some time this does give an opportunity for rookie Scoot Henderson to find a rhythm playing in the NBA and for DeAndre Ayton, who was traded to Portland this past summer, to continue getting use to his new team and new system. The Blazers just recently played against the Orlando Magic, which was the Blazers' home opener, and this was the first game Simons missed due to his recent operation. Against the Magic Henderson played for 25 minutes, scored 7 points shooting 3 of 12 (25%) from the field and 1 of 5 from 3 point range (20%), 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Not the best numbers from the third overall pick in this years' NBA draft but it is going to take time for Henderson to find his rhythm. 



        DeAndre Ayton was expected to be traded this past summer by many NBA fans. Ayton just did not seem happy playing for Monty Williams or even the Suns in general these past couple seasons despite the team having great regular season success. This past summer Ayton was traded to Portland where he will have a fresh start and even get more touches. In the first two games of the season, Ayton has averaged 9 points while shooting 69% from the field, 14 rebounds, 1 assists and 2 steals. His stats are expected to improve as the season goes on and as he gets more plays called for him especially with Simons out for a while. 





Location: Florida, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kelly Oubre Jr. Free Agency!

By on
Image
          Kelly Oubre Jr. has been quite the journeyman in the NBA. In 2015, he was drafted by the Washington Wizards then after a few seasons would get traded to the Phoenix Suns. After a short stint in Phoenix, Oubre signed a one-year deal with the Golden State Warriors. Following a brief year in the Bay Area, he would spend a couple seasons with the Charlotte Hornets where he would have some of his best games. This season, Oubre finished a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers and will hit the free agency market again this summer.            For a player on a veteran minimum, Oubre was a significant impactful player this season. He averaged 15 points and 5 rebounds per game. His defense was nothing less than amazing and his athleticism played to his strength this year. Oubre will have multiple suitors this summer from championship-contending teams.            The Philadelphia 76ers...
Read more

Pascal Siakam Is A Pacer!

By on
Image
          It is officially the end of an era for the Toronto Raptors. Pascal Siakam has been mentioned in trade rumors for most of the season. While Siakam's wish was to stay with the Raptors, the business of the NBA tends to interfere with wishes. It has been announced that Pascal Siakam has been traded to the Indiana Pacers.            Pascal Siakam was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in 2016 with the twenty-seventh overall pick. He was a huge piece in helping the Raptors win their first ever NBA championship in 2019 against the Golden State Warriors. After winning a championship he was named an NBA All-Star in 2020 and again in 2023. Siakam has also made All-NBA twice, All-NBA Second Team in 2020 and then All-NBA Third Team in 2022. Siakam has accomplished a lot in his eight years in the NBA, now he will join a rising young team in Indianapolis.           Full trade details: The Indiana Pace...
Read more

Knicks Big Man Search

By on
Image
          The New York Knicks are coming off their first 50-win season in over a decade but after losing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency they need to look for another big. They only have two centers on the roster, Mitchell Robinson and Jericho Sims. Having Robinson go back into the starting lineup isn't much of an issue, besides some health concerns, but Sims as the backup is still a question. He has yet to be a consistent rotation player in his young career. Matter of fact, in his three seasons in the league he has only played in over 50 games once.            There aren't any free-agent centers that can be seen as reliable backups for the Knicks. The team still has seven of their own first-round picks that they could trade to find the big man they need. According to an X account, "BigKnicksEnergy," a league source reported that the Knicks are interested in Charlotte Hornets center Nick Richards and are willing to move ...
Read more