Spurs vs. Trail Blazers: 5 Questions Ahead of Matchups

The Portland Trail Blazers play the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday and Friday. Here are five questions ahead of the two-game series.
Spurs vs. Trail Blazers: 5 Questions Ahead of Matchups
Spurs vs. Trail Blazers: 5 Questions Ahead of Matchups /

The San Antonio Spurs are traveling to the pacific northwest for a two-game set against the Portland Trail Blazers.

To learn more about the Spurs' opponent for Thursday and Friday, we spoke with Blazer's Edge contributor Paul Navarre.

Tre Jones Drew Eubanks Blazers
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Q: Blazers rookie Scoot Henderson was billed as the co-star to Victor Wembanyama in this year’s draft class. How has the start of his career been?

Expectations by much of the fan base were unrealistic, so many have been left a bit disappointed. It's hard for many fans to go from Damian Lillard at his peak to a very young rookie, so seeing Scoot struggle was a bit jarring. For those paying attention though you can see the progress week to week, and lately he's had a few excellent games. Those in the know are very pleased.

Q: If the Blazers win Thursday or Friday, what would be the reason why?

Two things: athleticism and making the open shot. These Blazers are as athletic as any team in the NBA, but they are raw and are figuring out how to make that an advantage for 48 minutes every game. When they use their athleticism good things happen. What they aren't blessed with is a lot of consistent shot makers. It's hard to win a lot of games when you are 29th in field goal percentage in the NBA. If Portland has a good shooting night they can stay on the court with nearly anyone. Otherwise it can get ugly fast.

Q: What’s one thing people should know about the Blazers that they couldn’t find in a box score?

This team is so young and inexperienced that they don't know when they should be intimidated or when they should throw in the towel. No half-time deficit is out of reach. They are also very unpredictable. A guy playing yesterday in the G League might be hero for the Blazers today.

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Q: What's a matchup that you are looking forward to seeing?

I'm going to assume that Devin Vassell will guard Anfernee Simons, and I'm looking forwards to see how that plays out. Simons has brought his game to a new level lately, but Vassell's length could cause some problems.

Q: What's your prediction for Thursday and Friday’s game?

I'll say that the teams split the two game series, with Portland perhaps ironically winning the game that Wemby plays in and losing the game he's likely to sit.


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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.