As training camp nears, the Portland Trail Blazers still have some rotation questions to settle, and the most interesting one may be lurking in the frontcourt rather than the backcourt.
The guard spot has been talked to death, and Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan look set to soak up major minutes without much drama. But the real uncertainty starts once the Blazers get past Robert Williams III. He is the clear first big off the bench, and after him, the depth chart gets shaky fast.
That’s where the concern comes in. Jeremy Sochan is described as a complete non-factor offensively and hasn’t helped an NBA team since leaving San Antonio.
Micah Potter has never appeared in more than 47 games in a season. Branden Carlson is 27 and only now entering his third season.
Yang Hansen remains an unproven prospect who has not shown much against NBA competition.
If the worst-case scenario hits and Clingan and Williams both go down for a meaningful stretch, Portland could be in real trouble.
Health is wealth, but it is also often random, unbiased and unforgiving.
There are ways to patch things together. Staggering Avdija and Camara could help cover minutes at the four, though the ideal setup is for those two to share the floor often.
Portland’s best path is to find lineups with Williams at either the four or the five while Clingan rests, or when Avdija and Camara are handling the three. Camp is the time to test those combinations, and a couple of the bigger bodies need to make a case for themselves.
In the best version of this, Hansen and Potter step forward as the leading options to soak up those backup minutes. Hansen showed some promise in summer league and during the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers, highlighted by a 19-point, nine-rebound outing against Lebanon that ended with a game-winner. If that was a sign of a real jump, Portland does not need the full leap right away - just enough to make him useful.
Potter’s path is simpler. He has to stay healthy.
Last season with Indiana, he set a career high by playing 47 games and posted 9.7 points and five rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game. His 42.3 percent shooting from three gives him a possible fit as a stretch option next to Williams or Hansen in the second unit, and even beside Clingan when the situation calls for it.
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