The Portland Trail Blazers will be without forward Noah Vonleh for training camp as well as the start of the regular season after the big man suffered a right shoulder strain, per Jason Quick of CSNNW.com.
Vonleh, who suffered the injury while playing pickup games at the team’s practice facility, is expected to miss the first two weeks of the regular season, but won’t require surgery.
Vonleh, 22, has been a regular starter at the power forward spot for the Blazers ever since arriving in Portland as part of a trade with the Charlotte Hornets in 2015. Vonleh has started 97 of the 152 games he’s played over the past two years for Portland, but has also averaged just 4.4 points and 5.2 in only 17 minutes per game last season.
The Blazers do have a lot of options at the frontcourt positions to fill in for Vonleh. Al-Farouq Aminu has been a starter in the past and should be favored to take up the power forward role in Vonleh's absence. They also have veterans Ed Davis and Meyers Leonard, as well as rookies Caleb Swanigan and Zach Collins as other possibilities.
The Blazers begin training camp on Tuesday and open the season on Oct. 17 at Phoenix against the Suns.
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