Vít Krejčí's Rough Debut for the Portland Trail Blazers Explained

Vít Krejčí shot 2/7 (1/6 from the three-point line) during a less-than-ideal debut for the Portland Trail Blazers during a 130-125 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. Worse yet, the Blazers blew a 19-point lead in the first half to find a way to lose.

Plenty went into Krejčí's poor performance, though, beyond just the absence of the team's top distributor, Deni Avdija. The Oregonian's Joe Freeman revealed that Krejčí's arrival to Rip City was delayed by ongoing domestic travel issues, and he was not given much of an introduction by the coaching staff because of it.

"The Blazers’ newest player, Krejčí, was not as hot (as the Suns' Grayson Allen and Collin Gillespie) in his Blazers debut. He entered the game with 5:06 left in the first quarter and didn’t waste much time testing his touted shooting ability, firing a step-back three less than two minutes into his first shift. It bounced off the front iron," Freeman wrote.

"And that was a recurring sight Tuesday. Krejčí didn’t arrive in Portland until Monday after enduring two canceled flights, an unexpected overnight stay in Miami and a restless night that included just two hours of sleep. Then, after passing his physical, he went through a Tuesday morning shootaround with coaches and teammates that featured a crash course on the Blazers’ offensive and defensive principles.

"It was, as Krejčí said, a 'long 48 hours' and it showed. He scored just five points in 14 minutes and made 2 of 7 shots, including 1 of 6 threes, with most of them falling short off the front iron."

It wasn't all bad for the Blazers' newest trade acquisition, who was acquired on Monday in a fairly popular move in Portland. Freeman believes the Czech guard showed hustle and promise in his new home.

"But he brought plenty of energy and hustle, recording back-to-back blocks during one defensive possession and diving for a loose ball along the sideline during another. When he hit his first shot — a three from the top of the key off a pass from Robert Williams III — Krejčí pumped his fist and smiled in his new No. 27 uniform," Freeman wrote.

Vít Krejčí's Arrival Means Fewer Minutes for Caleb Love

Though Krejčí is a six-foot-eight guard who could play either spot on the wing, he's naturally going to play most minutes at the 2, behind Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Avdija, and Jrue Holiday. Based on the rotations from his debut, Krejčí looks poised to take minutes from Caleb Love.

Love's case to make the roster continues to look bleaker by the day as the team continues to canvass the league for more guard help. If he can stick until the offseason, perhaps he can be converted to a standard deal then.

It's clearly not a good sign that Love's minutes are fading as the team enters the stretch run in their potential first playoff campaign in half a decade.