The Portland Trail Blazers fell 96-86 to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday in the second game of Portland’s NBA Summer League slate. The Blazers led for most of the game, but could never fully separate from Memphis. That allowed the Grizzlies to go on a massive 20-3 run in the fourth quarter to gain a double-digit lead before fending off Portland for the rest of the contest.
Here are some of the major takeaways about the Blazers’ key players:
Hansen Showcases His Diverse Skillset
Yang Hansen was a significant contributor to the offense once again in this contest. He finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. His facilitating from the top of the key opened up a lot of opportunities for the Blazers on cuts and in the dribble handoff. His abilities as a screener were also a major point of emphasis for Portland’s offense, and it led to some easy points, either from Hansen rolling to the rim, or the ballhandler making the most of the created space.
His play style lends itself to highlight-worthy moments, and this game was no exception. He had a couple of very impressive passes, some leading to assists, and a pair of thunderous dunks. His flashy style elicited gasps from the crowd on multiple occassions and helped gain some momentum for the Blazers throughout the game.
While Hansen’s rebounding numbers don’t jump off the page, his ability to create rebounds for Portland is very impressive. His first priority whenever a shot goes up is to find his man and box them out. That creates opportunities for his teammates to get the rebound, or for Hansen to grab it himself. This style of play does not lead to gaudy stats, but it does wonders to help the team secure the ball.
Cissoko, Love and Bouknight Carry Scoring Load
Sidy Cissoko, Caleb Love, and James Bouknight finished the game with 20 points, 18 points and 15 points respectively. The trio accounted for most of Portland’s offense in the game and took the majority of shots. Love struggled to connect, making just 7 of his 21 attempts, but had a few very impressive shots that showcased his affinity for tough shotmaking.
In addition to his 20 points, Cissoko also added three steals. He was everywhere on the court and made a significant impact, adding four rebounds and three assists to stuff the statsheet. His 50% shooting from the field and behind the arc helped Portland to build and maintain their lead through the first three quarters.
Bouknight shot just six times, but he made the most of those opportunities. He made two of his four attempts from deep and added five free throws to finish with 15 points.
Rupert Comes Back Down To Earth
After an incredible first NBA Summer League appearance, Rupert finished this game with just three points on four shots. He also picked up five fouls in his 24 minutes on the court. He was not as aggressive looking for his shot and was unable to get into a rhythm throughout the contest.
The third-year guard was able to show major flashes in the first game, but this second contest highlighted his struggles with carrying over that type of performance into subsequent games. If Rupert is able to increase his consistency, this type of game will begin to happen less and less. However, for now this is what can be expected for a player that is still developing.
On the positive side, Rupert was able to grab a pair of steals and his aggressiveness on the defensive end was noticable. Although it led to a bunch of fouls this game, that is a very encouraging sign for a player who was touted as a defensive specialist coming into the 2023 NBA Draft.
Moving Forward
Portland has a couple of days off before facing the New Orleans Pelicans at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Source link
