Neil Olshey Deserves Credit for Growth of Portland's Young Players Too

Portland's young players are thriving in the culture fostered by Terry Stotts and Damian Lillard. But general manager Neil Olshey deserves credit for finding them, too.

Say what you will about Neil Olshey. 

He's optimistic with the media to a fault, yielding unrealistic expectations. His lavish free-agency spending spree in the summer of 2016 set the Trail Blazers back for years. He's been too risk-averse to make the changes that could push Portland to real contention. Some even believe he's been too deferential to Terry Stotts when his team underachieves. 

The Blazers' general manager hasn't been close to perfect during his eight years in Rip City. The one area even his biggest detractors must admit Olshey has consistently excelled, though? Finding valuable contributors again and again where most organizations don't, an ability that's loomed especially large during the Blazers' standout recent play without three starters.

After hitting four crunch-time triples in his team's stunning win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, Damian Lillard talked about the sustained growth of Portland's young players.

“I think they’re growing up right in front of our eyes. They’re playing big – Ant, GT, Nas, Harry as well. They’re playing big, man," he said. "They’re giving us great minutes, and it’s not one or two games. How many games has it been? Twelve or 13 games now where, like, when they come in the game I’m expecting certain things from them, and they’re delivering every time."

Gary Trent Jr. is averaging just below 20 points per game as a starter, cementing himself as a truly elite shooter and showing off clear improvement as an overall scorer. Anfernee Simons has reached double-figures in seven straight games, blending elite long-range shooting with flashes of newfound playmaking comfort. 

Nassir Little, drafted in 2019 as a non-shooter, is 11-of-17 from deep this season, letting fly with quickness and confidence despite sporadic playing time off the bench. Harry Giles gives Portland energy and activity every time he steps on the floor, regularly earning postgame plaudits from Stotts and Lillard no matter his box-score impact.

Suddenly, the Blazers boast one of the most promising young cores in the league among teams that fashion themselves contenders. The average draft position of the quartet mentioned above? No. 27, a spot late in the first round where front offices can only dream of unearthing legitimate rotation players.

Portland's perpetually underrated developmental staff deserves immense credit here. The culture of commitment and teamwork fostered by Stotts and Lillard obviously does, too.

But Olshey's track record of finding viable contributors on the fringes is long. Similar success stories for the Blazers include Shabazz Napier, Moe Harkless and Pat Connaughton. Nurkic even falls under that same umbrella.

Olshey faces one of his biggest tests yet in advance of the March 25 trade deadline. Odds are he maintains the status quo, eschewing longtime calls to make the big move that could widen Portland's championship window. 

It's his keen eye for developmental talent, though, affording Olshey and the Blazers that option in the first place.

READ MORE: Why Anfernee Simons Trade Rumors Say More About C.J. McCollum and Gary Trent Jr.