The Portland Trail Blazers went 0-3 this week with losses to the Los Angeles Clippers, [Utah Jazz](https://www.slcdunk.com) and [Los Angeles Lakers](https://www.silverscreenandroll.com). The three losses came by a combined 73 points, and they included a 42-point home loss to the Jazz.
Despite the losses, there were some standout performances during the week, including from this week’s Blazer of the Week: Dalano Banton.
Banton has been a surprise contributor after being acquired near the 2024 trade deadline for a heavily protected second-round pick. This year he has shined in a reserve role, including this week where he put up averages of 13.0 points and 3.7 assists per game.
Banton’s ability to be a spark plug off the bench has made him a near-irreplaceable part of Portland’s game plan. This week his scoring did not translate to helping the Blazers win games, but it still shone through in blowout losses. Although single game plus/minus is not a perfect stat, Banton had plus-4, minus-19 and plus-3 in the 22-, 42- and 9- point losses, respectively. In all three games, those scores ranked near the top of the team, showing how important his minutes are for Portland.
Banton’s work as a primary ball handler helps take pressure off of Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson. Allowing those three to play off the ball can help them find success in catch-and-shoot threes or cuts to the rim for easy points.
The honorable mention for this week is Deandre Ayton.
While almost every member of the Blazers struggled in at least one game this week, Ayton had two good performances. He averaged 12.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game this week, although that includes a 6-point, 4-rebound outlier against the Jazz. Ayton also shot 58.1% from the field this week and managed to block four shots and snag a pair of steals.
Let us know in the comments which Blazers players stood out most to you!