A much-needed W comes at just the right time for Blazers
DeAndre Ayton played maybe his best game as a Blazer to beat his former Suns squad. Plus: fellow Suns draft pick Toumani Camara is helping Chauncey Billups sell a defensive identity.
Timing is everything. And the Portland Trail Blazers have done just about everything to win games over the past couple of weeks, except the most pivotal plays at the most pivotal times.
Tonight, Anfernee Simons finally made the shot the Blazers needed at the right time to help them hold off a late run from a desperate Phoenix Suns team. Timing was finally on Portland’s side Tuesday night to help them snap a seven-game losing streak.
Tuesday night also may have been DeAndre Ayton’s best game in a Blaszers uniform. Ayton played the most minutes he’s played in a non-overtime game, logging 40 of 48 minutes and finishing with 16 points and 15 rebounds. That his field goal shooting didn’t come with pristine efficiency mattered little. His aggression on both ends, as well as some smart plays when the Suns doubled Simons in the pick-and-roll, were keys to Portland erasing a 22-point Suns lead. Ayton has had games where he’s been more efficient, but there have been few, if any games this season, where Ayton has been more impactful.
Ayton making plays in 4-on-3 situations stood out on Tuesday, because it was something his predecessor Jusuf Nurkic often did. With the Suns taking the ball out of Simon’s hands, Ayton had the opportunity to flash his playmaking against the team that usually told him to set screens and just get out of the way.
When asked if he wanted to get the ball more, Ayton predictably answered “most def.” Basketball players like touching the ball, more at 11. But what stood out more than him liking the ball was the fact Chauncey Billups came into Tuesday night with the intention to get Ayton going.
“I ran some plays for him early to try and get him aggressive and going,” Billups said. “Of course you will have extra juice against your former team. But I thought the last couple of days that I needed to start playing him more.”
Billups went on to add that he was more than happy with the shots Ayton took on his way to a season-high 18 field goal attempts. But Billups, Ayton and Simons all were quick to emphasize that everyone on this new Blazers team is still learning how to play together. It’s only the 4th game this season where Simons and Ayton have played together. Of course, Shaedon Sharpe, one of four Blazers to play in every game this season, left at halftime with a groin injury. Still, the Blazers are trying their best to keep things in perspective. Everything is still relatively new for this group.
“It’s our fourth time playing with our main guys,” Ayton said. “We can’t really get too overexcited or too low. They’re trusting me on the defensive end to protect the rim and they’re funneling guys to me so we can get in transition.”
That Ayton outplayed Jusuf Nurkic in front of Blazers fans definitely made the win a little bit sweeter.
Portland is still learning. A win helped the vibes. The Suns, fresh off of nearly losing to the Washington Wizards, looked like they were on their way to a get-right game early. But the Blazers got one of their own instead.
In a lot of ways, the Suns and the Blazers are both still learning how to play with each other, since both are brand new teams. But at least for this season, the weight of expectations only falls on Phoenix. On Tuesday night, the lack of expectations and experience played to Portland’s advantage. I guess they just played the right team.
Timing is everything.
Notes
Tuesday night marked the regular season return of Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little and Drew Eubanks. The Blazers played a nice tribute video to all three players during the first timeout of the game.
There was a lot of Toumani Camara chatter pre-game on Tuesday. Chauncey Billups said that Joe Cronin fought hard to include Camara in the Nurkic-Ayton trade, while Suns coach Frank Vogel said “you have to give up something good to get something good.” Camara had nine rebounds and guarded Devin Booker for most of the night, forcing him into a rough 11 for 25 shooting night.
If any one player deserves credit for helping craft a stronger defensive identity, it’s Camara. He forced his way into the starting lineup early. He picked up Anferee Simons fullcourt in Portland’s first practice during training camp. If nothing else, he has been the on-court avatar for Billups, who has been preaching a defensive identity for years but had little to show for it. They’re still not an elite defensive team, but the fact they are an average defensive team after years at the bottom is a sign SOMETHING is starting to take shape. Camara may be the biggest reason why.
When I asked Billups if he thought Camara helped shape Portland’s defensive identity, Billups agreed emphatically. “Absolutely. With him picking up the ball fullcourt most of the games, I think it changed everything for us. When you have a guy that’s gonna do that, the other four guys can’t just allow to have the ball be swung around the floor. It’s just embarrassing. So he puts a quiet pressure on everybody. He’s had a ton to do with that on that end of the floor.” The Blazers were ranked 17th in defensive rating entering Tuesday night’s game after finishing 30th and 27th in the first two seasons under Billups.
Billups did not have any further updates on Sharpe’s status. Since I am a betting man, I would guess Sharpe doesn’t play on Thursday against Washington. But don’t hold me to it. Sharpe’s been playing through soreness pretty frequently this season. It seems like he’s due to take at least one night off.