Portland Trail Blazers Players Making Strongest Case for More Minutes
The Portland Trail Blazers are off to an impressive 14-4 start to begin the 2014-15 NBA season. Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge once again look like All-Stars, but as we've seen, it's a well-rounded cast that leads to playoff success.
When it comes to players on this roster who deserve more minutes, starters are disqualified from consideration. As much as we'd like Lillard and Aldridge to play entire games (not to mention Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum and Robin Lopez), we know how wearing them down now can hurt in the postseason.
Instead, we'll focus on the bench. Not everybody deserves more run at this point in the process, but we can identify a handful of candidates when we break things down into three specific categories.
Not There Yet, but Don't Quit on Him
This obscure category, which falls somewhere between embarrassing and flattering, belongs exclusively to Meyers Leonard.
In 2013-14, we watched the center regress following his rookie year. In 2014-15, he's seen limited action but has shown he can produce when given the chance.
In his only start this season (a Nov. 15 win over the Brooklyn Nets), Leonard recorded seven points and 12 rebounds in the 97-87 victory. His three-point shot isn't good enough for him to qualify as a situational player (neither is his shot-blocking or any other aspect of his game), but it's showings like this that offer hope for a bright future.
Situational Minutes
Thomas Robinson might be the equivalent of a human can of Red Bull. His energy sometimes causes him to do regrettable things on the court, but his vigor is infectious when the team needs a boost.
The reason Robinson has yet to crack the rotation is poor shooting and silly mistakes. Inefficient shooting is a problem, but unnecessary spin moves and poor defensive rotations have also plagued him early in his career.
Where Robinson offers promise is his aggressiveness above the rim. As B/R's Jonathan Wasserman put it, "His best shot at turning his career around is really as a specialist contributor—a forward who specializes in making plays without needing the ball in his hands. Because it just doesn't look like he's got much to offer with it."
At 6'10", 237 pounds, "freak" is a term that is both endearing and accurate. If you like putback dunks, Robinson is your guy.
If you like emphatic blocks, the former Kansas Jayhawk can be a pleasant surprise.
Giving Robinson consistent minutes doesn't make sense until mistakes are cut down. But if the team looks like it's sleep walking, the 23-year-old is someone head coach Terry Stotts can use to wake up everyone else in a hurry.
Falling into the same category as Robinson is Will Barton. Although we haven't seen it much this season, this is a guy who isn't afraid to attack the rim when no one else will.
In 2012-13, Barton started five games as a rookie because of teammate injuries. As a starter, he played 38 minutes per contest and averaged 15.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists while collecting 1.4 steals in the process.
Barton's case for playing time hasn't been made this season, but we've seen it before. In 2014-15, you'd like to see the now-23-year-old given a chance without injuries dictating his playing time.
The other situational player Portland has on the bench is C.J. McCollum, who looks like he can become an elite three-point shooter.
Despite shooting a miserable 26.3 percent from two-point range this season, the second-year guard is knocking down 45.8 percent of his shots from behind the arc. He's taking 2.2 three-pointers per contest, which would easily increase with more minutes in Portland's system.
Furthermore, no other reserve is shooting better than 40 percent from long range. Allen Crabbe is knocking down 38.7 percent, but next in line is Steve Blake at a respectable 35.1 percent.
Added Rotation Minutes
Joel Freeland is not flashy. He's not going to make many highlight reels, and his ceiling is questionable at 27 years old.
What he has going for him is that he's someone who avoids mistakes. This is something neither Robinson nor Leonard can't claim just yet.
So far this season, Freeland has played in 15 of Portland's 18 games. That's a number only two other bench players can match (Steve Blake and Chris Kaman: 18), yet he's playing just 10.5 minutes per contest.
Ideally, Freeland will be replaced by Leonard on this list down the road. Not only does Leonard's athleticism and unique skill set offer better potential, but his ability to spread and run the floor gives Portland a unique threat in a 7'1" frame.
All that said, it's important to remember that the Blazers want to win now. Freeland is a reliable option who hits jumpers and stands tall defensively. That's what Portland needs behind its starters, and that's what should earn this third-year pro minutes.
Despite the names already mentioned, you can't have this discussion without at least considering Chris Kaman. He's been a pleasant surprise for Portland and is the biggest reason the bench is competent following back-to-back dreadful seasons.
So far in 2014-15, Kaman has enjoyed averages of 10.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. His personal efficiency rating (PER) is the third highest on the team, courtesy of ESPN.com, and he's earning a reputation as a guy who gets things done on both ends of the floor.
Taking a closer look, via Basketball-Reference.com, Kaman is fifth in offensive win shares, fourth in defensive win shares and second in block percentage. This is the case despite being just seventh in minutes per game.
Unfortunately, it's not as simple as just giving the 32-year-old Kaman more floor time. Injuries haven't been a problem yet, but you're looking at someone who's averaged just 50 games per year over the last five seasons (not including the lockout-shortened 2011-12 campaign that saw him play just 47 out of 66 contests).
This is where you cross your fingers and either hope that Kaman stays healthy or that Freeland remains consistent (and that Leonard and Robinson improve). Kaman deserves as many minutes as Stotts will give him, but testing the youngsters now might be what gives the entire roster confidence once the postseason arrives.
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