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.
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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.
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.
