Trail Blazers News: Ranking The 2023-24 Portland Rookies' Inaugural Seasons
The Portland Trail Blazers had a season to forget in 2023-24. Portland is headed to its third straight NBA lottery under head coach Chauncey Billups, thanks to a miserable 21-61 finish.
But when one looks beyond the club's season at large, there are some intriguing takeaways folks can deduce, especially with regards to the team's first-year players.
Here's a look at their relative season runs.
1. Scoot Henderson, Point Guard
The marquee name among Portland rookies, Henderson was selected with the third overall pick out of the now-defunct G League Ignite development squad. He had some incredibly choppy months, as injuries only compounded his issues with defense, ball control, and shooting. By the end of the year, however, things were looking up. The 6-foot-3 native of Marietta, Georgia finished with season averages of 14 points on .385/.325/.819 shooting splits, 5.4 assists (against 3.4 turnovers), 3.1 rebounds, and 0.8 steals a night.
Despite being plauged by inconsistently, Henderson remains by far the team's highest-upside rookie prospect, thanks to his athletic gifts, scoring touch, and deft passing acumen. Time will tell if he can put everything together at the highest level.
2. Duop Reath, Center
The 27-year-old LSU product joined the Trail Blazers on a two-way contract initially this season, but he was so good he eventually earned a standard contract in February. Through 68 contests (20 starts), the 6-foot-11 pro averaged 9.1 points on .461/.359/.742 shooting splits, 3.7 rebounds, one assist, 0.6 blocks, and 0.5 steals a night. He's emerged as a stalwart big man on both ends of the floor and could lap Robert Williams III as Portland's de facto reserve big man behind starter Deandre Ayton.
3. Toumani Camara, Small Forward
Considered a throw-in as part of the Trail Blazers' deal with the Phoenix Suns to acquire Deandre Ayton, the 6-foot-8 swingman became a solid, defense-first perimeter piece for the Trail Blazers, starting in 49 of his 70 games. He averaged 7.5 points on .450/.337/.758 shooting splits, 4.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks a night.
4. Kris Murray, Small Forward
Murray, the No. 23 pick out of Iowa, was the more highly-regarded small forward rookie added by the Trail Blazers this past summer, not Camara. But Camara's defense set him apart, earning him more playing time (24.8 minutes to 21.7) and touches.
5. Rayan Rupert, Shooting Guard
The 6-foot-6 wing, a fairly raw prospect most recently with the New Zealand Breakers, was the No. 43 draft pick last year. He played pretty sparingly, and moonlit much of the time with the Rip City Remix, Portland's NBAGL affiliate. In his 39 contests for Portland proper (12 starts), he averaged four points on a .335/.359/.760 line.
6. Ibou Badji, Center (Two-Way)
Badji is a pretty raw prospect. He averaged just 10.3 minutes a game in the 22 contests he played with the Trail Blazers, but got much more run with the Rip City Remix. He may get buried on the team's center depth chart if he does return next year.
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ALEX KIRSCHENBAUM
Clyde, Rick Barry, and Pistol Pete Now these players, could never be beat.