The Portland Trail Blazers have added another name to the frontcourt mix, claiming Indiana Pacers forward Micah Potter off waivers.
Potter arrives with five years of NBA experience and a résumé that includes stops with the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz. Last season was his most productive yet: he averaged 9.7 points and five rebounds in 47 games for Indiana, the best statistical stretch of his career to this point.
To get a clearer read on what Portland is bringing in, Indiana Pacers On SI reporter Alex Golden offered a detailed look at Potter’s game. The headline trait is easy to spot.
Potter can shoot. He has a soft touch, stretches the floor, and knocked down 42.3% of his three-point attempts last season.
In Indiana’s fast-moving offense, he fit cleanly because the ball kept humming and he could punish defenses as a pick-and-pop big.
Golden also pointed to the other parts of Potter’s offensive package. He set sturdy screens for his size, could roll hard to the rim, and finished with emphatic dunks when the lane opened up. But the shooting is what makes him useful.
The defensive end is where the problems start. Golden said opponents targeted Potter repeatedly, forcing him into actions almost every trip and exposing him when he had to switch onto quicker guards. That often dragged the rest of the defense into rotation and left Indiana scrambling.
That’s why Golden sees Potter more as a depth center than someone who should be counted on every night. He can help on offense, but the tradeoff on defense is significant enough that his overall impact gets complicated. Golden said that, while they are different players, Potter is less talented than Duop Reath but should fill a similar role.
Indiana’s decision to move on from Potter was tied to roster math as much as anything else. Adding Nance Jr. saved the Pacers roughly $400K, and the team was extremely close to the first apron caphold. Nance Jr. also gives them more positional versatility and better defense.
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