Most Important Blazers Position Battles to Watch In Training Camp

The Portland Trail Blazers have the pieces necessary to be competitive but need to solve this puzzle during training camp.

Portland Trail Blazers center Yang Hansen reacts after scoring against the Brooklyn Nets during the second half at Moda Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the official start of NBA training camp fast approaching, questions are likely to be answered surrounding the Portland Trail Blazers projected rotation.

The guard situation has been discussed ad nauseam. And Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan are sure bets to eat heavy minutes relatively uncontested. An under looked aspect, however, lies in the frontcourt reserves.

Robert Williams III is surely the first big-man off the bench, but after that, the depth is concerning. Jeremy Sochan is a complete non-factor offensively and has not contributed to an NBA team since leaving San Antonio, Micah Potter has never played more than 47 games in a season, Branden Carlson is a 27-year-old barely entering his third season and Yang Hansen is an unproven talent with not many flashes shown against NBA talent. 

The worst possible situation is If Clingan and Williams suffer concurrent injuries and miss significant time. Foreheads will sweat and the situation can turn catastrophic for Portland.

Health is wealth, but it is also often random, unbiased and unforgiving. 

Staggering Avdija and Camara’s minutes can help fill minutes at the four, but ideally those two would share major time on the court. The Blazers best course of action is to find combinations that include Williams at either the four or five when Clingan is catching his breath or Avdija and Camara are slated at the three. Training camp is the perfect time for this, and a couple of big fellas need to assert themselves. 

In a perfect world, Hansen and Potter emerge as the top candidates to fill the gaps off the bench. Hansen had some solid showings during summer league and in the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers, including a 19-point, nine rebound performance against Lebanon in which he hit a game-winner. Hopefully, it is indicative of a legitimate leap, and fortunately it does not need to be a colossal one just yet.

As for Potter, the guy just needs to find a way to stay off the injury report. Playing a career-high 47 games for Indiana last year, Potter averaged 9.7 points and five rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game. Able to stretch the floor, his fantastic 42.3 percent stroke from beyond the arc could in theory make him playable alongside Williams and Hansen in the second unit, or even next to Clingan when the situation calls.

The talent is there — wellness needs to follow.