The [Portland Trail Blazers](https://www.blazersedge.com) are at an interesting spot in their history, an in-between zone following the decade-long Damian Lillard era and whatever comes next. As such, it’s hard to identify exactly who and what they are. Promise and peril are constant companions on the road, each taking turns in the driver’s seat.
In the midst of this growth (and occasional confusion), Blazers fans look for assurance, mileposts along the journey to make the trip more predictable and comfortable. Perhaps that’s the origin of this very unusual submission to the Blazer’s Edge Mailbag.
> Dave,
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> I often find myself wondering who we’ve got on this team. I know basketball reference does statistical comparisons of players. I’m looking at Deni Avdija’s similarity scores right now and they have Jordan Clarkson, Randy Foye, and Spud Webb. You are probably familiar.
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> My question is who are the current members of the team similar to when we’re thinking about Blazers of the past? I don’t mean statistically but in their role or how they affect the team. Like is Shaedon Sharpe this generation’s Clyde Drexler?
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> I don’t know anybody who knows as much history as you. If you answer this question I’ll be watching for sure.
>
> Jonathan
Oh man, this is hard. Statistics would just mean running numbers and style of play isn’t too hard... Toumani Camara is kind of like Scottie Pippen or Nicolas Batum, for instance. But role and narrative? That’s a tough one because the stories are so different now, as is the growth arc of the team.
We’ve only seen a couple eras like this in Portland’s past: 1970-1976 and 2002-2005. Players on this team will be dealing with similar challenges and expectations as players from those squads. (Hint: it didn’t go too well for a lot of them.) The environment being analogous doesn’t necessarily mean stories and roles will be though.
Ugh. Ok, I’ll try. Not because I think I can do a good job at this, but because I’m going to throw open the question to all the rest of you and see what you come up with.
I see similarities between Toumani Camara and Jerome Kersey. Kersey was a second-round pick who made the team with this relentless attitude and refusal to step backwards. Camara was a relatively-unknown throw-in to the Lillard trade mess who has now become a starter and backbone of the lineup. He’s not going to be the team’s leading scorer. He probably won’t be as good of a scorer as Kersey was, even. But he’s the guts, the fire, the guy you send after key opponents whom you want to disturb.
I can also see some of Wesley Matthews in Camara, by the way. He’s the fourth starter, maybe, but from that fourth position he provides a foundation on which the other starters stand as they shine.
The comparison is a little lazy, but I do see Mason Plumlee and especially Joel Przybilla in Donovan Clingan. They’re not going to revolutionize the offense but they will guard the rim and make sure to clean up other people’s mistakes. They’re like firefighters: you don’t need them until you need them, but then you _really_ need them. Clingan’s body makes him a super-sized version, which is nice.
Scoot Henderson feels like this generation’s Jerryd Bayless: awesome potential, great athleticism, huge variability. I think Scoot is already farther along as a point guard than Jerryd ever got. Their per-minute scoring numbers are really similar. (Ooops! I wasn’t supposed to drift into stats.) Mostly I’m thinking about players drafted with the potential to revolutionize the game and impose their will on the court. Bayless didn’t quite get there. Scoot might, being drafted higher and having more of everything. All I know is, the feeling I get watching Henderson is really similar to the one I got watching Bayless, especially in Jerryd’s Summer League outings. The sky’s the limit. What will he do?
Shaedon Sharpe is harder. He’s definitely not Drexler. Clyde came in with an expectation of explosiveness, if not greatness. Shaedon came in as a mystery. Clyde forced Head Coach Jack Ramsay to play him. Outside of some spectacular dunks, Shaedon hasn’t dominated yet. Comparing him to Clyde is Icarus reaching for the sun.
Instead I’d invoke a trio of names when it comes to Sharpe: Will Barton, Isaiah Rider, and Billy Ray Bates. Barton had athleticism and leaping ability, plus a fair amount of question marks dogging him during his Portland tenure. Rider had awesome scoring ability but didn’t become known for much of anything else. Billy Ray Bates had enough pizzazz to blow the arena lights. He also flourished when he was allowed to play his own way, not as much otherwise.
For different reasons, all of those players remind me of Sharpe. You get the sense that he _could_ become anything he wants to be, but will he have the focus, determination, and discipline to?
Right now Jerami Grant reminds me of Shareef Abdur-Rahim: a talented veteran whose production is declining and who doesn’t quite fit with the trajectory of the team. Shareef was more of a pure scorer than Jerami; Jerami is much better at defense and is ultimately the more versatile player. Pippen comparisons wouldn’t be totally out of bounds for him. But one wonders if we’re going to get the best out of Grant during the remainder of his Portland tenure.
In that way, Jerami also compares somewhat to his father, Harvey, though the younger Grant’s accomplishments in Portland far outweigh the elder’s.
I think Jrue Holiday will try to fill the Danny Ainge role: aging, veteran third guard, capable of filling either backcourt position, bringing steady play and competence behind younger, more athletic starters. The thing is, Ainge came into a team already stocked with Drexler, Kersey, Terry Porter, Buck Williams, Cliff Robinson, Kevin Duckworth, et al. Holiday coming to Portland now is more like Ainge going to Sacramento in 1988 than Portland in 1990.
The Blazers traded away Anfernee Simons and bought out Deandre Ayton, so that will save us from making CJ McCollum and Hassan Whiteside comparisons.
That just leaves Deni Avdija. I will admit that I am stumped. I want to invoke Pippen’s name for the third time. Deni is more like Scottie than either Grant or Camara. It’s probably the closest comparison play-wise and role-wise we have. But Scottie was at the end of his career when he came to Portland, nestling among a stacked group of All-Stars, hoping to push the team over the top. Deni is early in his career and will need to lead his team, not just augment it, if they are to succeed. It’s also difficult, maybe presumptuous, to compare any player to one of the 75 greatest of all time. The runway is too long and Deni’s still queuing up for it. Ascending to Pippen’s height can’t be forecast.
To me, Avdija is a unique enough player in a unique enough position to say that he’s his own thing. I suspect that someday, we’ll be comparing other players to Avdija, which is its own form of praise.
How about you all, though? Where are the comparisons apt and where could they have been better? Share in the comments section below.
If you have your own questions, you can send them to [blazersub@gmail.com](mailto:blazersub@gmail.com) and we’ll try to get to as many as we can!