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The Portland Trail Blazers are five games into the 2023-24 season, and while it's too soon to make definitive declarations about this team, there have been some interesting developments through the first 10 days of the season. Here are four observations from the Blazers' season so far:
Scoot Henderson's slow start
Blazers rookie point guard Scoot Henderson hasn't had the most explosive start to his NBA career. The third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft was highly touted after two seasons with the G-League Ignite, but has had to work through growing pains at the next level.
The general overreaction surrounding Henderson's start has been annoying and about as expected. Highly touted 19-year-old point guards generally don't explode onto the scene from day one. Kyrie Irving and LaMelo Ball both struggled for stretches in their rookie seasons before making the jump in year two.
Predictably, Henderson has had difficulty with foul trouble, as do most rookie perimeter defenders. The lack of a 3-point shot was a known issue before he was draft, but shooting 9.5 percent from beyond the arc is worse than even the most pessimistic Blazers fans were expecting.
All that said, Scoot has notably begun to figure things out game by game. The assists are ticking upward, the turnovers are trending downward, and his general presence is felt more on the court. Hopefully Scoot won't miss any time after rolling his ankle against the Pistons, because he had his best stretch as a pro right before the injury.
DeAndre Ayton has been (mostly) better than advertised
Blazers center DeAndre Ayton entered the season looking for a fresh start after his disappointing tenure with the Suns. After only scoring four points in his Blazers debut, Ayton has been much more aggressive on the offensive end; averaging 12 points on just under 10 shots per game. Ayton has also continued to show the soft touch from the midrange that he's known for.
Where Ayton has thrived has been on the boards, leading the NBA with 14 rebounds per game. As a rebuilding team, the Blazers are going to miss some shots. Ayton has a big opportunity to feast on the offensive glass. He's done exactly that so far this season, snagging 3.4 offensive rebounds per game.
There have been issues as well. As soft as his touch is in the midrange, Ayton seems to have hands made of stone when receiving an entry pass. Multiple times per game, he's had issues cleanly gathering the ball on the post. Perhaps this will improve as the team gels and he gets the ball more in line with where he expects it, but it shouldn't be expected.
Ultimately, Ayton is much better fit with this roster than previous center Jusuf Nurkic. If Ayton can find a way to be even more aggressive in the pick-and-pop, he has a chance to prove a lot of doubters wrong.
Shaedon Sharpe making the jump
It's difficult to spin Anfernee Simons' injury into a positive. Anytime a team like the Blazers loses their best player, it's going to sting. But no one has stepped up more in Simons' absence than Shaedon Sharpe.
The 7th overall pick in 2022, Sharpe arrived in Portland as an enigma; a teenager who didn't play a minute at Kentucky but had Vince Carter-esque athleticism. His rookie season saw him contribute fairly quickly, mostly as a corner three outlet valve or getting into the dunkers spot. This season, with Simons out, Sharpe is getting significant minutes, and making the most of them.
After averaging just under 10 points per game last season, Sharpe has more than doubled that output. But it's not just the scoring, it's the way he's getting buckets. The crazy athletic plays are still there, but Sharpe has added more mid-range scoring to his game. He's also moving better on defense, a major issue last season as a teenaged rookie.
When Simons returns, the team will have a difficult decision to make; start Sharpe as an undersized small forward, or find a way to continue to get him minutes at shooting guard.
Toumani Camara: from trade throw-in to rotation player
In the 2023 NBA Draft, Toumani Camara was the 22nd pick of the second round. That's 52nd overall, if you're keeping track. With notable exception, most players selected in that range don't tend to amount to much at the NBA level. When the Blazers acquired Camara as part of the Ayton trade that sent Nurkic to Phoenix, there weren't high expectations. But Camara started turning heads with his confident play in Summer League and quickly earned rotation minutes.
While the numbers don't necessarily pop, Camara is averaging a respectable 6.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in his 23 minutes per game. He has struggled with his shot to some degree, but has demonstrated an energy and defensive aggressiveness. The type of play that coach Chauncey Billups wants his team to establish their identity around.
The Blazers take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, Nov. 2 and Sunday, Nov. 4 from Moda Center
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