Sidy Cissoko has wasted no time turning himself into one of the Portland Trail Blazers’ most useful bench pieces.
At 22, he’s opening the season looking like a much better two-way wing than the one Portland first brought in on a two-way contract. The Blazers eventually made the move to convert him to a standard deal, and Cissoko has rewarded that decision by carving out a real role as a dependable rotation piece.
That matters now more than ever for Portland. The team is dealing with real wing depth issues after trading away Kris Murray and Jerami Grant to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Ja Morant deal, and then watching Matisse Thybulle leave for the rival Los Angeles Lakers in free agency.
Even so, general manager Joe Cronin didn’t go hunting outside the building for a replacement. Over the offseason, he said that though they were probably a little thin, it was also a testament to the confidence in the wings and forwards they do still have on this roster.
So far, the 3-0 start is backing that up. The obvious names are Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Jrue Holiday, who is playing more small forward this season. But Cissoko belongs in that same conversation as one of the players Cronin believed could handle a bigger job.
His rise has been a steady one. He’s gone from roster bubble player to starting 26 games on a playoff team, and now he’s becoming a key part of a Western Conference contender. This is the role-player version of Cissoko making the leap.
The numbers reflect the growth. He’s averaging a career-high 8.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 24.0 minutes per game. His 30 percent three-point shooting is still a work in progress, but he’s been efficient overall, shooting 53.3 percent from the field.
Whether he ever becomes a league-average shooter remains to be seen, but his percentages have trended upward since he entered the league, which at least gives Portland a reason to believe there’s more coming. If that shot ever fully comes around, the Blazers could have another 3-and-D option to ease the load on Camara.
Even before that happens, Cissoko is already doing plenty. He brings energy off the bench, plays with the kind of contagious edge teams love, and fits neatly alongside a roster full of ball handlers and playmakers.
Portland doesn’t need him to dominate the ball. It needs him to make winning plays, and that’s exactly what he’s doing.
That kind of contribution can get overlooked, but it shouldn’t. Cronin has put together one of the deepest benches in the league, and Cissoko is one of the quieter reasons why Portland has had an advantage in every matchup to start the season.
In Other News...
Blazers Sent A Message By Outmuscling Luka And The Lakers
Portland did not just outscore the Lakers on Monday night, it outworked them in ways that tend to show up when games get tight and physical. Even with Luka Doncic pouring in 41 points and Austin Reaves adding 26, the Trail Blazers found an edge in efficiency, free throws and on the glass, turning a high-scoring contest into a win that said plenty about their willingness to match a star-driven opponent possession for possession.
The Lakers had enough offense to stay in striking distance, with bench contributions from Sandro Mamukelashvili and Ziaire Williams helping keep the pressure on, but Portland kept answering. In a game that swung on more than shotmaking, the Blazers' balance and physicality became the difference, a useful reminder that even against elite shot creation, the margins often come down to who controls the harder parts of the night. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Exposed A Big Lakers Problem Even On Lukas Night
Luka Doncic delivered the sort of scoring night that usually papers over a lot of issues, piling up 40 points against the Trail Blazers and reaching his 20th career 40-point game with the Lakers. That moved him into sixth place on the franchises all-time list in that category, ahead of LeBron James, who has 18, but it still wasnt enough to keep Los Angeles from leaving with a loss in Portland.
For the Blazers, the more interesting part was what the box score could not hide. Even with Doncic carrying the offense, the Lakers still allowed 136 points in a game that exposed how much pressure Portlands pace and shot-making can put on an opponent. It was the kind of result that adds a little extra sting to a milestone night, because the headline belonged to Doncic but the outcome belonged to the Trail Blazers. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Closed Out A Marquee Win But One Late Issue Took Over
The Blazers got the kind of marquee win that can set a tone, leaning on a balanced scoring night and production from six players in double figures to get past the Lakers in a tight game. Ja Morant and Damian Lillard were part of the mix as Portland held up in a contest that stayed physical throughout, with both teams trading blows deep into the fourth quarter.
What ended up taking center stage, though, was the whistle. The game featured multiple technical fouls for flopping in the closing period, and the officiating crew spent the night trying to enforce the NBAs latest point of emphasis. With 52 fouls and 71 free throw attempts between the teams, the basketball never lost its edge, but the late-game attention shifted from the score to the way it was being played. [Read more 🡒]