Vit Krejci was supposed to give the Portland Trail Blazers a little pop off the bench, the kind of easy shooting that can keep a second unit afloat when the offense gets sticky. Instead, the numbers have turned into a problem.
Through the opening stretch of the season, Krejci has averaged just 1.8 points in 8.5 minutes per game, and the biggest issue is impossible to miss: he’s hitting only 14.3 percent of his three-point attempts. For a player on the roster to space the floor, that’s a brutal start.
That’s what makes this so jarring. Krejci shot 40-plus percent from deep in each of his final three seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, and Portland clearly hoped that version of him would show up after he had a full offseason to settle in following the trade deadline deal. Instead, he’s looked like a different player since arriving in Portland.
The fit has been shaky from the start. In 19 games to close last season after the trade, Krejci shot 30.3 percent from beyond the arc, and this year has gone even worse. Rather than giving the Blazers a reliable outside threat, he has become someone they can’t count on when the offense needs a clean look.
Thursday’s 124-103 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies put that issue under a spotlight. Portland shot just 12-of-49 from three, a dismal 24 percent, and that’s exactly the kind of night when a bench shooter is supposed to matter. Instead, the Blazers were stuck searching for answers.
Damian Lillard normally helps cover that kind of scoring drought, and Portland already saw that during its 3-0 start. But leaning on a 36-year-old Lillard coming off a torn Achilles is not a long-term fix, and he also ran into trouble against Memphis’ length. The burst that once let him bend games to his will just isn’t the same.
That’s why Krejci’s struggles sting so much. Ideally, this is the spot where Micah Nori could turn to him for a few steady minutes and trust the shot to hold up.
Sidy Cissoko has been better off the bench, but he brings a different skill set. Portland still needs Krejci for what he’s supposed to do best.
If he can’t straighten this out, the Blazers may have to reconsider whether they really have a shooting answer coming off the bench at all. Joe Cronin has gotten most of his deals right, and the Ja Morant trade situation was another example despite the injury. But the smaller move for Krejci, which sent back two future second-round picks and center Duop Reath, is not looking like a clean win right now.
In Other News...
Blazers Suddenly Face A Ja Morant Problem They Couldnt Afford
Ja Morants first game against Memphis since the trade ended with an unwelcome twist for Portland. The matchup already carried extra weight because the Blazers had sent Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to the Grizzlies in the deal that brought Morant to town, and the night was supposed to be another step in settling the new roster into place.
Instead, Morant left in the fourth quarter with a left hamstring injury and was later diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain. The early timetable calls for at least four weeks on the sideline, which leaves Portland trying to absorb the reality of a major addition going missing almost immediately, right as the team was hoping to build momentum around him. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Fans Have Another Robert Williams Concern To Watch
Robert Williams was already sitting out because of a sore knee, and for a Portland team that has been trying to manage every bit of frontcourt health carefully, the latest injury watch around the league only adds to the unease. Around the NBA, the list of players leaving games early or missing time keeps growing, which is the sort of backdrop that makes every update on Williams feel a little more important than the last.
The most immediate reminder came in Utah, where rookie guard Darryn Peterson put up 18 points in 26 minutes during the Jazzs loss to San Antonio but did not see the floor in the final seven minutes or overtime. Will Hardy said the choice came down to execution issues and a preference for Brice Sensabaughs scoring late, a small but telling example of how quickly late-game plans can shift when health, rhythm and trust all start pulling in different directions. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Road Trip Just Got Complicated After Star Left Early
The Trail Blazers stop in Memphis ended with a lopsided loss, but the bigger concern for the road trip may have been what happened on the other side. Ja Morant left early with a left hamstring injury and did not return, a development that immediately changes the feel of Portlands next matchup as the team heads on to face the Utah Jazz.
Morants status is now uncertain, and that uncertainty matters for a Blazers group trying to steady itself after a 124-103 defeat. Memphis still had enough to finish the job, with rookie Cam Boozer turning in his first career triple-double, but Portland will be watching closely to see whether the Grizzlies are at full strength when the schedule turns again. [Read more 🡒]