A year ago, Sidy Cissoko was starting the season in the G League as a two-way player. Now he enters training camp with a real chance to stick in the Portland Trail Blazers’ rotation.
That rise tells you plenty about how last season unfolded for Portland. The Blazers finished seventh in the Western Conference, reached the playoffs for the first time in five years and got key minutes from a player who had to claw his way into the picture. Cissoko took advantage of injuries, forced his way onto the court and turned himself into part of the team’s late-season surge.
He ended up appearing in 75 games and making 26 starts, producing 5.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists while giving Portland energy that showed up on both ends. His relentless motor, defensive intensity, passion and swagger fit right into a surprise season that included a late push, a play-in tournament upset and a playoff berth.
The Blazers clearly noticed. Cissoko signed a two-year non-guaranteed contract in February and is set to make $2.5 million this season. At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, the 22-year-old guard is entering his fourth NBA season with an expected role as a backup guard.
There’s still a long way to go in his development. Cissoko is a raw player who relies more on athleticism, guts and reckless abandon than polished skill.
Shooting remains the biggest issue; he hit 40% from the field and 30% from three-point range. He’s also better in the open floor than in half-court settings.
Even so, the momentum is real. Word out of Tualatin is that few Blazers have improved more this offseason. And for a team entering a new era under a new owner, a new coach and new expectations, Cissoko’s climb from G League depth piece to rotation contender is exactly the kind of internal story worth watching as media day approaches on September 28.
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Ja Morant Adds Intrigue To Portlands Biggest Roster Bet
Nearly three months after Portland acquired Ja Morant in a blockbuster trade from Memphis, the move still hangs over the Trail Blazers as the kind of roster swing that can define a season. Morant had been the cornerstone of the Grizzlies, but Memphis moved him as it pushed deeper into a rebuild, and Portland brought him in with a clear aim: add enough high-end talent to get back into the playoff picture.
The intrigue has only grown because Morant arrives with some real questions attached. His scoring has dipped from his peak, and his injury history makes every step of this bet feel more delicate than a normal star acquisition. For a Blazers team looking for a shortcut back to relevance, the payoff could be enormous, but so could the risk if the fit never fully comes together. [Read more 🡒]