Is Jerryd Bayless the Answer to The Portland Trail Blazers Point Guard Needs?

Since being drafted 11th by the Portland Trail Blazers last June, Jerryd Bayless has been under much scrutiny by the fans. Although everyone acknowledges his considerable talent, many don't believe his skill set will mesh with the existing Portland backcourt.

Being described as a shooting guard stuck in a point guard's body has caused little excitement among Blazer supporters. Numerous bloggers and forum-members have expressed resentment toward the Portland front office for failing to bring them a pass-first point guard.

Although his 4 assists per game in college wasn't horrible, it certainly wasn't what most envisioned Kevin Pritchard would target in the draft. His outstanding 19.7 points per game indicates that Bayless is, above all, a scorer.

While fans and bloggers are protesting this new addition to the roster, Brandon Roy is applauding it. Recent interviews have shown that Roy will take over his fair share of the point guard duties, so a pure point guard isn't as pressing of a need. Brandon readily compliments Bayless' winning attitude, confidence, and his ability to adapt.

"The reason why I see me playing with Jerryd is because he can guard points,'' Roy said.

This also hints towards the general public that we are going to see Brandon running the offense more this season. Almost no one believes Brandon can play defense on point guards for 82 games. Bringing in Bayless will keep Roy fresh to bring the ball down the court for the full season.

He also squelched any objections from Bayless' ability to play alongside Roy: "That's why I tell people who say he is not a point: 'If he was a point, it would take away from what I do, so it's almost fine that he's not a point.'"

And, on the contrary to what most believe, Bayless is a good passer; it's just not his first option. While his assist numbers from the summer league are alarming, there are two factors that caused this.

First, the coaches told him to look at the rim, not for his teammates. Second, his teammates weren't what you'd call reliable. His assist stats will look better when he's feeding NBA caliber players; you can't expect him to put up 5 or more assists per game when he's passing to guys like Josh Davis.

Another attribute of Bayless' game that will complement the Blazer's team is his 3-point shooting. With the departure of James Jones, they'll need all the firepower they can get to replace him. His sharp shooting will also take pressure off developing post players Lamarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden.

So even though Bayless isn't a pure point guard, he can still fit into the Blazer's game plan; it's just a different route than most expected.

(Brandon Roy quotes came from "Part III - Roy and Bayless: A match made in heaven?" by Jason Quick of the Oregonian.)