虎扑体育网

虽然我确信Joe 和 The Cronies宁愿他们的重建时钟在 Dame Time最终结束时开始，但可以提出一个更令人信服的理由，这实际上是第 4 季。重新装备就是重建，特别是自从波特兰的“重新装备”始于他们的第二好球员CJ McCollum 被交易之后。如果你愿意的话，他们的保罗·乔治到俄克拉荷马城的拉塞尔·威斯布鲁克。

不同的是，OKC 在 2019 年休赛期抛弃了乔治和威斯布鲁克。鉴于开拓者队的前台选择采取更交错的方法，在 2022 年交易截止日期前几天交易 CJ，然后在 2023-24 NBA 赛季开始前交易达米安·利拉德。

具有讽刺意味的是，雷霆队对自己进行了一些“改造”;他们只是没有竭尽全力掩盖他们的意图。

但在我们讨论俄克拉荷马城雷霆队的“重组”之前，让我们先比较一下他们和开拓者队在重建的第 1 年至第 4 年的记录。

在俄克拉荷马城重建的第一年，克里斯·保罗在他在 OKC 的唯一一个赛季中重建了自己的价值，这与球队令人印象深刻和令人惊讶的记录密切相关。我认为波特兰开拓者队希望在他们的第一年能有类似的结果（称之为重新装备），但由于核心肌肉受伤，利拉德在那个赛季（2021-22 赛季）只打了 29 场比赛。

到第 4 年（2022-23 赛季）结束时，雷霆队已经恢复了体面，特别是考虑到他们在没有 2022 年第二顺位选秀权切特·霍姆格伦的情况下打了整个赛季。他因脚伤错过了他的新秀赛季。

相反，波特兰已经落后于俄克拉荷马城雷霆队，有时更像一艘没有舵的船，看起来既倒霉又无助。

区别是什么？

这一切都与球员有关，就像 NBA 历史上的任何球队一样。因此，我们将从头开始比较这两支球队，专门研究他们的基石/基础球员。

MVP 候选人

在俄克拉荷马城重建的第 4 年，Shai Gilgeous-Alexander（SGA） 一跃成为成熟的明星。他曾经/现在是合法的 MVP 候选人。在2022-23赛季，Shai的表现绝非如此，平均得分为31.4分，投篮命中率51%，包括0.9次下午3分，三分命中率34.5%，助攻5.5%，篮板4.8，抢断1.6，抢断1。

吉尔吉乌斯-亚历山大没有做的是安顿下来 3 秒。除了在他的新秀年，当时他场均 1.7 个 3 分球，他在这个突破赛季尝试了职业生涯最低的 2.5 个 3 分球。他打下坡路，不断给防守施加压力，以职业生涯最高的 10.9 英尺，命中率 90.5%。他在罚球线上的得分几乎是两位数的，每克得分为 9.8 分。

简而言之，SGA 好得离谱！他配得上他的第一个 NBA 最佳阵容选择。

在本赛季之前（波特兰开拓者队重建的第 4 年），波特兰最好的球员 Anfernee Simons 是成为他们 SGA 的合乎逻辑的选择。如果不现实，我什么都不是（我的兄弟 Travis 甚至可能会说有点悲观）。

所以，我最好的希望是 Simons 成为 SGA-lite，突破全明星的界限。我甚至主张开拓者将他们的现在和未来结合在一起，让他们的后场首发Anfernee （“Penny”） Simons和 ScootHenderson。令许多人（包括我自己）感到震惊的是，Simons 获得了车钥匙并成为 PG 候任者，Scoot是他的后备。

伙计，我很兴奋，因为我一直认为控球后卫将是 Anfernee 达到天花板的最明确路线。但是，天哪，天哪，他的开端很艰难吗！在23场比赛中，投篮命中率41%，包括2.5个三分球，职业生涯最低的32.9%的三分命中率，4.6个助攻，2.7个篮板和0.9个投篮。

一个不那么有趣的事实是，Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 和Simons是在同一年（2018 年）被选中的。这并不好玩，因为 Anfernee Simons 显然远远落后于 Shai 的速度。

我仍然认为Anfernee具备成为 SGA 轻量级、边缘全明星的能力吗？

是的，但开拓者队的重建不能再依赖于西蒙斯成为他们的 SGA。不过，对他们来说幸运的是，有一位内部候选人有可能接过这个衣钵。

如果 SGA 是夏洛克·福尔摩斯，那么它就是“Elementary dear Watson” was/is......

杰伦·威廉姆斯 [Slim Reaper之前 – Chet Holmgren，他再次错过了 OKC 重建的整个第 4 年（2022-23 年）。

J-Will 在全明星赛后的新秀赛季中以 54.6% 的投篮命中率场均得到 18.6 分，其中包括 1.2 个下午 3 分，三分命中率 42.9%，5.4 个篮板，4.3 个助攻和 1.7 个三分球。正是华生医生所要求的！

现在看来，这就是 Anfernee Simons可能最适合的角色，即 Watson 医生的角色。

那么，波特兰开拓者队夏洛克·福尔摩斯的希望寄托在谁身上呢？

不是别人，正是 Shaedon Sharpe。

就在本赛季早些时候，他证明了自己具备 Bonafide 明星的素质。从 11 月 12 日至 11 月 20 日，他在短短的 4 场比赛中就取得了一次小型突破，暗示了他疯狂的高潜力。他的表现令人瞠目结舌：48%的投篮命中率得到25.75分，包括3.25分的3分，三分命中率41.9%，3.75篮板，2.75助攻，和1.5秒。

令人印象深刻的是，波特兰也赢了这 4 场比赛中的 3 场，只在 11/20 输给了雷霆队，雷霆队继续拥有开拓者队的号码：

“雷霆队已经连续 14 场战胜了开拓者队——这是......波特兰自 1975 年以来对任何单个对手最长的连败。

尽管样本量很小，但我仍然认为阻止 Shaedon 达到他的天价上限的唯一因素是健康。对他来说，最好的能力无疑是可用性。

不过，应该注意一个踢球者。在夏普占据统治地位期间，西蒙斯在 11 月 12 日对阵明尼苏达森林狼队的第一场比赛中只打了 5 分钟。

那么，这就引出了一个问题，安芬妮·西蒙斯和谢登·夏普的首发后场是否适合这两名球员最大限度地发挥他们的能力？或者一个人的高水平比赛会以牺牲另一个人为代价吗？希望到赛季结束时，我们至少能找到这个问题的答案。

这个问题的一个有趣的侧边栏，还有更多问题：Scoot Henderson 会成为释放 Shaedon 潜力的关键吗？Scoot 的技能组合是否与 Sharpe 的技能更互补？只是把它扔在那里让你咀嚼。

Will 3rd 谈到这些重建时 “Please Stand Up”！

Real Slim 在上赛季俄克拉荷马城雷霆队重建的第 5 年做到了这一点，而曾经是发言人的 Josh Giddey 则失宠了。顺便说一句，我是说，在这个休赛期被交易到公牛队。

谁会像切特·霍姆格伦 （Chet Holmgren） 为俄克拉荷马城那样为开拓者队挺身而出？

会是 Scoot Henderson，还是他会走 Josh Giddey 的路？

会是多诺万·克林根还是他和酷航的组合？

或者会是波特兰开拓者队在即将到来的选秀中签下的谁？

这就是波特兰与 OKC 的真正区别。雷霆队在球员方面有他们的答案，而开拓者队似乎只有问题。

开拓者队显然在任何方面、形状或形式都无法与俄克拉荷马城雷霆队相提并论，除非你对事实进行一些认真的延伸或仅仅依靠投射，就像我对 Shaedon Sharpe 所做的那样。

如果夏普不能保持健康，波特兰开拓者队的重建将受到严重威胁！

-------------------------------原文如下----------------------------------

2024-2025 Portland Trail Blazers Mid-Term Progress Report

December 17, 2024 Jason Poulsen Portland Trail Blazers 0

While I’m sure Joe and The Cronies would rather their rebuild clock have started when Dame Time finally ended, a much more compelling case can be made that this is actually season 4. Re-tooling is rebuilding, especially since the “re-tooling” for Portland began with their 2nd best player, CJ McCollum, being traded. Their Paul George to Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, if you will.

The difference being, OKC jettisoned both George and Westbrook during the 2019 offseason. Whereas, the Trail Blazers’ front office opted to take a more staggered approach, trading CJ a couple of days before the 2022 trade deadline, then Damian Lillard just before the start of the 2023-24 NBA Season.

Ironically, the Thunder did a bit of “re-tooling” themselves; they just didn’t go to the same lengths to mask their intentions.

But before we get to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s “re-tooling”, let’s first compare their and the Blazers records in years 1 – 4 of their rebuilds.

Oklahoma City Thunder Portland Trail Blazers

Year 1 44-28 (2019-20) 27-55 (2021-22)

Year 2 22-50 (2020-21) 33-49 (2022-23)

Year 3 24-58 (2021-22) 21-61 (2023-24)

Year 4 40-42 (2022-23) 8-18 (2024-25)

In year 1 of the Oklahoma City rebuild, Chris Paul rebuilt his value in his only season with OKC, which strongly correlated to the team’s impressive and surprising record. I think the Portland Trail Blazers were hoping for a similar result in their first year (referring to it as a re-tooling), but Lillard only played in 29 games that season (2021-22) due to a core muscle injury.

By the end of year 4 (2022-23), the Thunder had returned to respectability, especially considering they played the entire season without the 2022 2nd overall pick, Chet Holmgren. He missed his rookie season with a foot injury.

Portland, conversely, has fallen off the Oklahoma City Thunder’s pace, most closely resembling a rudderless ship at times, looking both hapless and helpless.

The difference?

It’s all about the players, just as it has been with any team in the NBA’s history. So, we’re going to compare these two teams from the ground up, looking specifically at their cornerstone/foundational players.

The MVP Candidate(s)

In year 4 of Oklahoma City’s rebuild, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) made the leap into full-fledged stardom. He was/is a legitimate MVP candidate. In 2022-23, Shai was anything but, with averages of 31.4 pts on 51% shooting, including 0.9 3pm on a 3P% of 34.5%, 5.5 ast, 4.8 reb, 1.6 stl, & 1 blk.

What Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t doing was settling for 3s. Except in his rookie year, when he averaged 1.7 3PA, he attempted a career-low of 2.5 3s in this breakout season. He was playing downhill, putting constant pressure on defenses with a career-high 10.9 FTs, making 90.5%. He was nearly a double-figure scorer just from the free throw line, making 9.8/gm.

In short, SGA was absurdly good! More than deserving of his first All-NBA 1st Team selection.

Before this season (year 4 of the Portland Trail Blazers rebuild), Portland’s best player, Anfernee Simons, was the logical choice to be their SGA. I am nothing if not realistic (my brother Travis may even say a tad pessimistic).

So, the best I hoped for was Simons being SGA-lite, pushing the boundaries of All-Stardom. I even advocated for the Trail Blazers to pair their present and future together by starting Anfernee (“Penny”) Simons and Scoot Henderson in their backcourt. To the shock of many, myself included, Simons was given the car keys and became the PG Designate, with Scoot as his backup.

Man, I was excited, as I’d long thought point guard would be the clearest route for Anfernee to reach his ceiling. But, boy, oh boy, is he off to a rough start! To the tune of 17.2 pts on 41% shooting, including 2.5 3pm on a career-low 3P% of 32.9%, 4.6 ast, 2.7 rebs, & 0.9 stl over 23 games.

A not-so-fun-fact, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Simons were drafted the same year (2018). Not fun cause Anfernee Simons has obviously fallen way behind Shai’s pace.

Do I still think Anfernee has it in him to be SGA-lite, to be a borderline All-Star?

Yes, but the Blazers’ rebuild can no longer depend on Simons becoming their SGA. Luckily for them, though, there is an in-house candidate who could potentially take up this mantle.

If SGA is Sherlock Holmes, then it’s “Elementary dear Watson” was/is…

Jalen Williams

J-Will put the league on notice his rookie season after the All-Star break with averages of 18.6 points on 54.6% shooting, including 1.2 3pm on a 3P% of 42.9%, 5.4 reb, 4.3 ast, and 1.7 stl. Just what Doctor Watson ordered!

This now seems to be the role, that of Dr. Watson, that Anfernee Simons may be best suited.

So then, on whom do the Portland Trail Blazers Sherlock Holmes hopes rest?

None other than Shaedon Sharpe.

Just earlier this season, he demonstrated he has the makings of a Bonafide star. He had a mini-breakout over a stretch of just 4 games from 11/12 – 11/20, hinting at his crazy high potential. His production was eye-popping: 25.75 pts on 48% shooting, including 3.25 3pm on a 3P% of 41.9%, 3.75 reb, 2.75 ast, & 1.5 stl.

Rather impressively, Portland also won 3 of these 4 games, only losing to the Thunder on 11/20, who continue to have the Trail Blazers number:

“The Thunder have won 14 straight games against the Trail Blazers—it’s… Portland’s longest losing streak against any single opponent since 1975.”

Despite this small sample size, I still think the only thing keeping Shaedon from reaching his sky-high ceiling is health. For him, the best ability will undoubtedly be availability.

A kicker should be noted, though. During Sharpe’s stretch of dominance, Simons only played 5 minutes of the first game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on 11/12.

So, this begs the question, does a starting backcourt of Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe lend itself to both players maximizing their abilities? Or will one’s high-level play be at the expense of the other? Hopefully, by season’s end, we’ll at least have the answer to this question.

An interesting sidebar to this question, more questions: Might Scoot Henderson be the key to unlocking Shaedon’s potential? Might Scoot’s skill set be more complementary to Sharpe’s? Just throwing this out there for you to chew on.

Will the 3rd spoke of these rebuilds “Please Stand Up”!

The Real Slim did so for the Oklahoma City Thunder in year 5 of their rebuild last season, while Josh Giddey, once a spoke, fell way out of favor. And by way out, I mean traded, to the Bulls this offseason.

Who will step up for the Blazers as Chet Holmgren has for Oklahoma City?

Will it be Scoot Henderson, or will he go the way of Josh Giddey?

Will it be Donovan Clingan or a combination of him and Scoot?

Or will it be whoever the Portland Trail Blazers land in this upcoming draft?

And herein lies what truly separates Portland from OKC. The Thunder have their answers player-wise, whereas all the Trail Blazers seem to have are questions.

The Blazers obviously do not measure up to the Oklahoma City Thunder in any way, shape, or form unless you do some serious stretching of the truth or rely solely on projection, as I’ve done with Shaedon Sharpe.

If Sharpe can’t stay healthy, the Portland Trail Blazers rebuild will be seriously jeopardized!