When Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups told reporters it would be unwise “to read into anything” with regard to his starting lineups and rotations during the exhibition season, he was met with a challenge.
“But everybody reads into everything about everything these days?” someone responded, laughing.
“But that’s on y’all,” Billups replied. “That’s on y’all. Y’all go ahead, have fun. It’s not worth reading into, but y’all can do what y’all have got to do.”
OK, Coach … challenge accepted. Let’s blow one meaningless exhibition game out of proportion. Here are three overreactions from the Blazers’ 129-123 Wednesday night loss to the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.
OVERREACTION NO. 1: SHAEDON SHARPE BELONGS IN THE STARTING LINEUP
Shaedon Sharpe entered the season looking to cement his status as the Blazers’ starting shooting guard and earn a lucrative contract extension. Well, after a week of training camp, there was increasing buzz that Sharpe might just be poised to take the next step.
“I think everybody knows the talent that he is and what he can do,” Jrue Holiday said early in camp. “That boy can hoop.
“He’s been cooking me. He’s been cooking me, for sure.”
On Wednesday night, Sharpe was pretty much cooking everybody. He finished with 22 points, six rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes, revealing a mix of athleticism, smooth shooting and consistency Blazers fans have been yearning for since he arrived with the No. 7 pick of the 2022 NBA draft. Sharpe swished three-pointers with ease, he knifed into the lane with precision, he finished impressive drives with floaters and athletic layups. He didn’t even look like a liability on defense.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, as they say, and a starting job NBA job is not won after a single standout performance in an exhibition game. But if this is how Sharpe — who made 9 of 15 shots, including 4 of 8 three-pointers — has been playing behind-the-scenes the last few weeks, he could be in for a special season.
“Us and the staff and his teammates, we’re pushing him to go be great,” Billups told reporters Wednesday night in San Francisco. “And he was really good tonight in his minutes. He just looked very under control at all times. Got to where he wanted to get to. I thought defensively, (he) was good, went in there and got some really good rebounds for us. I think Shaedon can be an exceptional rebounder with his physical gifts. He had a good game.”
All the while, Jerami Grant, the man Sharpe is battling for that starting job, had an uneven night. He corralled five rebounds and snatched three steals in 21 minutes. But on a team of hot shooters, he was a notable exception, finishing 2 of 11 from the field, including 1 of 5 from long range, as he scored eight points.
“I’m just trying to do everything I can to help my team and just do what the coaches (are) asking me, which is play hard and really play defense,” Sharpe told reporters in San Francisco. “So I’m really trying to lock in on those things.”
OVERREACTION 2: TOUMANI CAMARA WILL BE TROUBLE ON OFFENSE
The player who embodies the Blazers’ identity, who sets the standard on defense, might just have a little something to offer on offense, too.
As the Blazers were fast-breaking and shooting their way toward a 39-point first quarter and a 73-point first half, Camara’s offense was a key part of the surge. He finished with 14 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block in 20 minutes, and his long-range shooting was a force in the first quarter. The 6-foot-7 forward swished 4 of 5 three-point attempts in the opening period, when the Blazers built a 39-25 lead against the Warriors’ veteran starting lineup.
The four threes were one shy of his career-high for a full game, a mark he hit four times last season. Team insiders have been saying for weeks that Camara was perhaps the Blazers’ most consistent and impressive performer over the summer. But if he can shoot like he did Wednesday night, the Blazers’ defensive heart-and-soul is in for one heck of a season.
“Toumani continues to get better at all times,” Billups said. “He shot it real well today and played well. We expect these things out of Toumani all the time now, we’ve become accustomed to seeing it every single time. So he was really good.”
OVERREACTION NO. 3: YANG HANSEN IS NOT CLOSE TO CONTRIBUTING
Perhaps the biggest question mark entering the exhibition opener surrounded Yang Hansen and how he would play in his first NBA test. The answer: Not well.
The Warriors, a veteran team that plays fast and relies on constant cutting and movement, were not an ideal first opponent for Hansen. But, even so, it was a rough debut for the Chinese rookie, who committed four turnovers and fouled out after just 21 minutes, during which he struggled with the speed and athleticism of the competition and seemed to battle first-game jitters.
“I thought he struggled in his minutes to kind of find his way,” Billups said. “You can imagine the nerves that a young kid like that has playing in his first NBA game. I’ve been there, and I looked really bad in some of my early games. I didn’t think he looked bad at all, but the learning curve that we continue to talk about with him, now you guys will be able to see it in front of you. The athletes are just so fast and so explosive in the NBA. And for somebody like him, it’s going to take a little time for him to adjust to that speed. But he will, and he’ll be just fine.”
Hansen checked in for the first time with 8:11 left in the first quarter. Four seconds later, he drew an offensive foul while battling for a rebound. Roughly three minutes after that, he coughed up a turnover to Jimmy Butler on an shaky pass. As play streaked the other way, Hansen stumbled near midcourt and crashed to the floor.
Later, during a fateful fourth quarter that saw the Blazers’ reserves squander a 19-point lead, Hansen committed four fouls and two turnovers in 6 minutes, 17 seconds. The last came with 1:35 left, when he was whistled for an illegal screen as the Blazers were clinging to a 117-116 lead.
“I guess I’m illegal hand-checking,” Hansen told reporters, through an interpreter, after the game. “So I’ll take care of my hands next time, and my body.”
The night wasn’t all bad. He scored his first bucket with 7:35 left, finishing a two-handed layup at the rim after orchestrating a give-and-go with Camara. And he ran the court well. But he only managed four points and four rebounds, while making 2 of 5 shots, in 21 minutes, and generally seemed a step behind the flow of the game. He also told reporters multiple times afterward that he needed to work on his English so he could understand teammates and coaches “faster” and “better.”
“More intensity for sure,” Hansen said through the interpreter, revealing what he needed to improve on. “I kept talking to myself before the game, trying to calm down. But I will take my lumps and try to get better every time, see what disadvantages I have and go correct them.”
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