The Portland Trail Blazers are back in action in Las Vegas, and the second stop on their Summer League schedule comes against the Orlando Magic after a frustrating finish to their opener.
Portland had control early against the Phoenix Suns, building a lead as large as 16 points, but the game slipped away late in an 81-79 loss. That was the same Suns team the Blazers beat in the Play-In Tournament back in April, but this time the result went the other way.
Afterward, Summer League head coach Gilbert Abraham pointed to the areas that cost Portland.
"I think we played with a lot of effort. We definitely competed on the defensive end.
I think we could have done a lot better job of just taking care of the basketball. Turnovers, I think, when they went on their runs, kind of hurt us.
We could have been a little bit more adaptable by recognizing and putting ourselves in position to be successful," Abraham said postgame.
Abraham also said the opener gave the group a clear lesson about the speed of the environment.
"I think the biggest thing I've learned from this game is the pace of this type of game. Summer league is very, very fast, and this is my first time experiencing it live. Overall, it's something we're going to have to get better at as a group," Abraham said.
A big part of Portland’s attention remains on 2025 first-round pick Yang Hansen, who finished with 12 points and nine rebounds against Phoenix. Abraham said the debut came with plenty of teachable moments, but also showed why Hansen is such a focal point for the Blazers.
"Hansen had some highs. He had some situations where he could have been better, but overall, no training camp, not knowing exactly what we're doing all the way around. We're going to get better game by game and situation by situation," Abraham said.
"... I think it was just a few transition plays that he was compromised on, and it wasn't his fault necessarily. It's a team thing, but overall I think he competed."
Portland’s next step is simple: clean up the mistakes from Game 1 and show progress against Orlando. If the Blazers can tighten up the turnovers and settle into the pace a little faster, they’ll give themselves a much better shot at coming away with a win.
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The other side of the tape was just as revealing. Hansen is still learning how to handle the physical edge that comes with NBA-level frontcourt play, and he had stretches where the Suns made him work for every inch. That is the tension for Portland now: the skill package is real, the growth curve is obvious, and the path to a rotation role will depend on how quickly he can tighten the areas that were exposed in his first look. [Read more 🡒]