Donovan Clingan Shows Real Improvement in Trail Blazers Summer League Win

Donovan Clingan Shows Real Improvement in Trail Blazers Summer League Win

in today’s show after Rocky game one at Summer League Donovan Clingan takes real strides in game two the players just utilized them better welcome to lockdown Blazers let’s get into [Music] it you are locked on Trailblazers your daily Portland Trailblazers podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team everyday what’s up world pass first point Ard and Trailblazers reporter Mike Richmond you’re listening to another episode of lockon blazers part of the lock on podcast network available wherever you get Podcast and also on YouTube thanks for making the show your first listen coming at you each and every weekday Monday through Friday so make it a part of your daily routine make your first listen tell your friends to do the same it’s lockon Blazers your team every day in today’s show we’re talking about the Blazers second summer league game a last second win they hold on to beat the Sixers in a game where the results don’t matter but the process was so much better talk about Donovan kingan who I think the Blazers just straight up utilized better they just they put him in positions to succeed imagine that and he succeeded a and he succeeded a lot better than he did in game one uh talk about some secondary guys that we didn’t mention in the first uh after our first game recap uh talk Bryce mcgallen a little bit Jus Justin manah a little bit of Jackie Sway and then uh the the rest of the roster guys Chris Murray and Ryan repair to close the show but we’ll focus on that well that’s Today’s Show we’re we’re going to talk about these Blazers win over the Sixers you know what I’ll give it to you I didn’t do the box score the last game I’ll even tell you the score of this one Blazers win 97 95 not too much box score stuff in in summer league because I think the box score I think like I don’t think it’s totally meaningless but I think like the function of how the game looked is several standard deviations more important than the counting stats um it’s probably always is but I think it’s really really really overstated in somewhere summer leag like the numbers don’t matter so when I watched the game I didn’t worry too much about Donovan kingan’s numbers because immediately I was more excited about how the blazes were using him immediately his first two touches early in this game were high post touches out of horns which is like when you have a guy two guys at the elbows one at one at the corner of the free throw line you know uh two guys set up there and the point guard comes across half court and then an action triggers something either those guys screen for each other or they or there one of them sets a screen on the ball but like you start in Horn where those two guys are at the corners of the of of of the lane and getting clinging early touches out of those out of the out of the high post like right away to begin the game the first offensive set is a high post touch for klling and it’s like yes that’s how they got to use him that’s it I mentioned in the uh shout out to my every dayers if you if you listen to my yesterday’s show talking about uh the Blazers first preseason game it’s like they did that to open the second half of game one it’s like okay yeah this is how they’re gonna use them because they just don’t have enough of a pick and roll manipulator to make Donan Donovan kingan an effective pick and roll player and so they just went away from it they said you know what that’s that’s not going to that’s not going to be the thing that works for us his first touch he makes a great read he throws the ball inside Kenedy Chandler and Kenedy Chandler is like 510 and he couldn’t score underneath the rim but it was a great read great pass if you throw that to an NBA level athlete that’s a dunk like it it’s just I was maybe a little bit ahead of him but like again it’s like it’s who can’t explode up to the rim for an easy one or get through contact it’s just like a smaller point guard catches inside it’s great great read um second time he gets they run the the horn stuff he gets fouled and then basically from there um they ran it one more time and he got into a dho action that’s a dribble handoff I’m too many termin too terminology in in the opening segment horns and dho but they R in drible handoff with Ryan ruper he Clingan set a good solid screen and ruper got himself into the paint and made a little Runner off glass and like then almost immediately almost immediately Philly goes Zone and they played they played this two3 Zone two3 matchup he Zone the rest of the game almost almost every possession for the rest of the game they stuck in that zone and they sat in it and Donan kingan worked himself to the top of the key and ate it alive it wasn’t like he his why why I’m I’m harping so much on how they used him in the passing right away is because his individual offense is just not there um I don’t think that’s a surprise he was a guy who didn’t display a lot of shooting range in college he’s a guy who didn’t shoot particularly well from the free throw line in college his his the way he scored in college because really freaking big um he’s not going to be a direct postup guy he’s not like a true he’s a lob threat in the sense that he’s 72 right and you can throw it up Above the Rim and he can dunk it but he’s not like jumping up above the square he’s not a leaper right he’s not that’s that’s not what he is he’s a really good passing big man who can really play defense so utilize him in ways that lets him that and I thought today he was so so so much better and it starts with the way he was utilized it starts with the way the Blazers chose to get Donovan King in involved um it was just intelligent intelligent deployment intelligent utilization um maximizing what what he can do um shout out to Jonah hu the Blazers assistant coach who’s running the summer league team this was a really this was just a really smart game plan and I thought our defense Donovan kingan was good I thought he was good um you know he didn’t block as many shots as he did in the other game but he’s just he’s in the way he alternates things and one of and like um he he turns guys away when when when they drive to the rim he’s not there you know Ricky Council from Philly who’s like pretty aggressive going to the rim he wasn’t scared of Donovan kinging but some of the maybe other guys like the Justin Edwards of the world were like yeah I’m taking a pullup I’m I’m taking a pullup like I I am I’m absolutely going to take a pullup here um and I thought the passing was on full display he had a couple back door uh one to one to chance late in the game he had won to Ryan ruper in the first half that was just a really great cut um he had a little slot cut where he found mcgaw’s cutting when he caught it he kind of caught it on a broken play and then he had some highlights and that’s what you needed his his individual offense is farther away right his individual offense is farther away I thought this was a good defensive game I thought it was excellent passing game from Kling it starts with the Blazers game plan to put him in positions to succeed as a passer but what you needed here was to something to feel good about something to say wooo that’s fun and like some Nifty passing from the top of the key is fun but it’s not it’s not ho hoooo you know it doesn’t get you it doesn’t get that uh it doesn’t get you up out of your chair so much maybe you clap a little bit but you’re not up out of your chair but in the third quarter he catches one it’s kind of a broken play they’re again going to him at the high post and he’s trying to um he’s he his Defender tries to make a steal he carals the ball gets his defender on his back because they they gambled he catches it actually his feet are on the three-point line takes two two steps and a dribble in and crams all over a d Bona welcome to the league buddy uh Bona was pretty good um fouled too much but he was he plays hard um and and Don M cing had crammed all over him a huge poster dunk the DC poster Kling Kong in the building um the sort of signature highlight of his first two games kingan was excellent in a boring way and that is what you really want is a guy who just who just said I can really pass and I’m going to really pass in the way I can do it which is catch at the top of the key pump fake pump fake pump fake read that Baseline cutter and deliver hold that middle of the zone and make those passes but he still had the Highlight to kind of um to kind of make you make you feel a little bit better out of about what he can do on offense what I really like about what he how they utilized him there on defense I think he’ll get there I think there’s going to be some some speed and quickness issues with him early in his in his career and and we’ll see what he ends up but like he’s so into it on defense right like he knows what he’s supposed to do he’s playing deep drop you can hear him communicating down down down down down that means send the pick and roll ball handler down towards me he’s saying we’re Downing the screens like he’s communicating out there I’m not I have I maybe I’ll have concerns when I see him against NBA level competition but like his feel on defense is not a problem the utilization offense was so so so much better and he didn’t look for threes he touched the ball at the top of the key a lot he touched the ball at the top of the key a lot with space and he utilized what he’s actually good at go do what you’re good at he can really pass and they used him they used him in that way um I thought that was I I thought this was a really really solid game from Kling and this made me feel a lot more comfortable about how he could be utilized in the regular season because this is the role he’s going to have he’s going to play short burst the Blazers played him very very intentionally about six minutes at a time was very clear on based on the sub pattern that they were like let’s not run him out too much because he just hasn’t played that much he hasn’t played that much live basketball the thing about lottery picks they have this really weird situation where they go play college basketball until their college basketball season ends right and some some some guys it’s way earlier and for kinging it was the the last possible game right um and then you like don’t play fives you do workout stuff and you travel around and you like get prepared for the draft but you don’t really play live five on five basketball in like an organized setting until you get to Camp so so kingan just like hadn’t played a lot of Hoops um you know I think there’s already concerns about like in general his his conditioning at the highest level he’s not a big minute guy in college but it’s like on top of that he hasn’t he hadn’t played much basketball in a long time he as much in the first day of blazers summer league uh Camp it’s just like I haven’t run that much I haven’t played that much fives because like my schedule hasn’t allowed me to and like when you’re working out for when you’re going to get drafted no one wants you to go play pickup they want you to stay healthy get fitted for a suit and go get a bunch of money and you can play basketball when you get to Vegas in summer league and that’s what he’s doing and the Blazers in they were very very intentional about about giving him short burst in fact the um the broadcast was like kind of getting they were like we’ve only seen him for 10 minutes they like they weren’t you know they’re not as clued in as you and I because they’re not as like the obsessives um that’s why you the lockdown Blazers it’s for the junkies baby but they were really intentional about how they used him both in his minutes which I think is going to be similar to how he’s used in the regular season like short burst okay you’re going to play seven minutes a half buddy go for it dog like you get 14 minutes today make the most of it and then like high post as a high post Hub as a high post decision maker utilize his skills don’t don’t make him just a pick roll guy you know maybe scoot can unlock a lot of what cling can do and I think there’s hope for that but I think the best version of him is going to be this guy who runs high po stuff dribble handoffs um utilizes his passing to open up the rest of the floor utilizes um you know allows the Blazers to they have some guys who can really cut toan kamaro’s a really good cutter I think Danny Abdi is going to be a really good cutter like I I think I I think you saw the outlines of what it could look like he doesn’t look like a dude who’s going to dominate the league right away but in game one he looked pretty far away and then in game two it’s like when they just they put him in positions to succeed again shout out to the coaching staff a one much much much stronger game plan in game two and obviously everyone’s learning themselves and it’s all new and all that right with the obvious caveats but they just they utilized him way better he looked way better and the one who was winning time he made plays to help them win huge plays to help them win uh with under a minute left he gets a bucket inside um goes you know gets an offensive rebound goes back up with it he kind of went up quick cuz he realized was like kind of off balance threw it off the glass hard grabbed a second offensive rebound puts it back in Blazers uh you know to give the Blazers a an an a lead and then they Philly has to come down and Jared McCain comes off a screen and takes a jump shot and kingan blocks the jumper at 17 ft swats a pull-up jump shot then after um free throws and uh and and and Philly’s trying to get the ball back in for one for one more chance well kingan is on the ball and makes it really hard for them to get the ball in bounds and they have a 5-second violation cuz you put a 7 foot2 guy with active hands on the ball and Jared McCain can’t get the ball in bounds uh maybe don’t have the 6-2 guy throwing against 72 guy but that’s a that’s a Philly thing not a Portland thing um Clingan he was utilized in the right way made strides because he didn’t he didn’t it wasn’t like oh man they can’t throw him a lob pass and he’s getting you know touches that he can’t finish it was a very simple play to your strengths have your strengths be strong his strengths were strong in this game he didn’t get beat for offensive rebounds I thought he was really good on the defensive glass in terms of finding bodies blocking out Tony Bradley and AD damona like this was a good clinging game um not a light the world on fire clinging game I’m not selling you on that but this was like obvious legitimate progress and a much better process from both him and the trle lasers coaching staff an outright victory in the in the hope and the needs some hope for Donovan King and this was absolutely a hopeful performance let’s talk about some other guys uh including our first glimpse of Jackie sway who we got to see a little bit in the first half and then a very brief cameo in the third quarter plus the two-way guys mwan and Mania we’ll talk about all of them in the second segment join me there won’t you first though I want to tell you that Today’s Show is brought to you by fan duel it’s America’s number one sports book it’s baseball season so maybe you’re maybe you’re itching for to get on a little action well fanduel’s making it fun for all the all the time during baseball season for you to get in on the action they also got summer league bets and WNBA bets and they’re making summer fun they’re making summer fun to be a fan fanduel’s hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that’s new customers that’s old customers returning customers firsttime customers everybody FanDuel is is finding you something every day all summer long so head on over to fanduel.com start making the most out of your summer that’s fan an official sports betting partner of Major League [Music] Baseball oh all right let’s talk about some other guys DC good night for DC oh real quick this is in my notes and I want to say this before I forget it um at the when they play in the Rose Garden when they play or excuse me at the at the Mota Center when they play in the Blazers home arena when when guys score they’ll play a little sound for them right um they got a little sound drop that the boards will play they they bipe in a lot of sound those games now it wasn’t always that way they pipe in a lot of sound um but when they score they’ll play a little like Drop and it’ll be someone’s like kind of like signature uh maybe like 3 second music drop and the the for kingan who who came over from Yukon with a nickname Kling Kong I I think they got to play the song King Kong that I Remember by by as a track by Chamillionaire but then I looked it up prior to this podcast and it’s actually written by it’s it’s a song credited to another early 21st century rap artist jibs featuring Chamillionaire your boy does not have that strong a memory also remember Lil Wayne rapping over it on the drought 3 incredible mixtape Wheezy made it look easy um but yeah they got to play King Kong The King The King Kong drop the chorus from that song if you want to look it up on YouTube or wherever uh you listen to music it’s it the like many rap songs of its time it the it starts with the chorus uh yeah check it out this absolutely has to be Donovan clingan’s drop okay um that’s let’s you want a little basketball not just like a stupid thought I had because I am the age that I am um we got to see the Blazers a likely future uh remix Legend a couple remix guys uh maybe future remix guys in this game but Jackie sway who’s signed an exhibit 10 deal um he had a chance to be the first Chinese player drafted from since 2016 according to the broadcast tonight but he he went undrafted and the Blazers sign him to an E10 deal he worked out for the Blazers in the pre-draft process an exhibit 10 deal is essentially a preferred uh a preferred g-league contract it offers guaranteed money if you go sign with that team’s g-league team so it’s basically saying like we’d love to get you in our developmental program here’s a little incentive to do so come join our summer league team come get involved with our process let’s get you in the building and get you at the practice facility and then you can sign with our g-league team and you can be part of the program from there the g-league is not a direct minor league like system like everyone who plays for the Blazers G League team does not have like necessarily like a direct route to the NBA it’s it’s like it it just works differently um but you are like obviously like guys who are in their system they prefer and yada y y but like um it’s two-way contracts on the direct route a g- league someone who’s in the g- league is like not even technically like could be signed by someone else in the NBA it’s it’s it’s a little more trick it’s it’s not a true minor league system but the little bit we saw Jackie sway D could shoot it um he’s big he’s big like he’s a true 68 dude who could shoot it and when he he checked in late in the first quarter and kind of just like got a little cardio in but then he he he was still on the court to open the second quarter and he hits a corner three on his first touch they get it to him in the corner he’s wide open Cash shot it with confidence cash like just absolutely twick tickled the twine like just a a really nice looking three and then he came down in transition and uh in like semi- transition and gets a wing three and cash again hits back toback threes then they um the Blazers get a stop they run the other way uh I’ve actually thought sway was open on this possession running just like he sprinted rim to rim right he runs down the middle of the paint they don’t see him Donovan Clingan runs down the middle of the paint they don’t see him but the ball loops around the perimeter it’s the problem with playing with like not a lot of dudes who can pass uh loops around the perimeter finds Sway in the opposite corner from left to right in the opposite corner he has a a pump fake three he gets the defender to bite takes a little um one dribble like he’s going to take a mid-range pullup but the defender by you know comes the help Defender comes and shows him a little bit of like a little bit of his body a little bit too far out and uh sway whipped it inside to kinging and Kling got a layup underneath like he comes in and has two threes and an assist like immediately in his first three touches and then he basically disappeared and then they didn’t play him the rest of the half um I have no IDE like that is such a small um such a small little little piece of of a glimpse of what he can be um so I I literally have no idea but I will say like intriguing size because he just big and the jumpers he did take looked really good he played a little bit in the second half and just like didn’t get opportunities and he didn’t he didn’t play much uh this game I’ll give you a box score number he played eight minutes he didn’t he he just didn’t play very much um you know I have no I don’t I would be surprised if he got the last two-way spot but I think he is he is clearly a priority Rip City remixer he’s he’s he’s headed to the child Center um he could be someone worth keeping an eye on because yeah like the Blazers desperately need shooting and he’s the right size that he would fit into the like we desperately need shooting and are you taller than 66 like he does check both those boxes um I hope we see a little bit more of them the summer league because my the very first impression was like yo let this guy keep playing uh but like again that was literally um he played like four minutes he played Four he played four and a half minutes so it’s like well and then he went to the bench and came back in the second half I want to talk about the other two-way guys there guys who were on two-way contracts is Bryce McGaw and Justin manah um I I think I’ve said on the podcast that I don’t I I don’t totally get the Blazers appreciation of Justin manah and I’d like to amend that I get it I understand it watching him in this game I feel like I understand it he does doesn’t do stuff outside of his skill set first you know one of the early plays in the game he gets he he defends uh the passing Lane gets out gets an easy bu gets a steal and and and makes an an assist for an easy bucket like he just plays within himself the right way he’s going to play really hard on defense he’s going to take open threes when he has them he’s going to have straight line drive drives he’s not going to do a bunch of dribble moves he’s not going to try to make crazy plays off the bouns he’s going to keep it really simple I guess I don’t get because like I My Philosophy on two-way guys is I think i’ I think you’d rather like swing you’d either rather have like desperately address a position of need say like for the Blazers I think they could use another emergency point guard with their last two-way spot uh but like um or like a ball handler type someone who could play a little I think it’s I do actually just think it’s a point guard but like um they they could use they could use that so you use two-way spots for like that or it’s like flyers like just flyers on like on upside guys like I think well I don’t think IU baji’s an NBA player and probably I don’t think he will be like I think he he’s the type that makes more sense because it’s like if this dude pops there’s just not that many athletes who are his size Mani is like a 65 25y Old who’s not a great shooter and doesn’t have a lot of offense but I get it I get why he plays and I thought he was good in this game because he just like plays within himself plays really hard on defense takes the shots he can make um he’s he just he’s he Justin manah knows exactly what he’s supposed to do out there and then he goes and does it he’s not going to do more and he might do a little bit less but he he is he is just very very very cognizant of what his what his strengths are and how he can impact a team and he goes out there and does it um Bryce McGowan’s I I think I think game one he was a little bit shaky I thought he had a couple drives to nowhere I thought at the end of game two he was crucial had two big and ones in the fourth quarter of this game and like I the you know I don’t think the the shooting doesn’t look like it’s going to be a thing um you know I don’t think he I don’t think he shot the ball terribly in this game from deep as I as I as I Peak at the box score he didn’t shoot terribly from Deep two of six I’m giving you box score numbers I’m I I have it pulled up why am I going to lie to you but like um I don’t think he shot terribly but it doesn’t look like he doesn’t look like a shooter when he shoots it like when they go in they look good and he he hit one in from the right wing in like SE in semi- transition it’s like wo that looked good but then he had some misses you’re like oh yeah okay I get it um and and some like clean looks that he missed I don’t know that he’ll be a shooter but like if and and some of the slashing decisions he made in game one he’s just driving to nowhere just driving into driving into a crowd with no plan um I wish he had a little more playmaking juice like I wish he was a creative passer but I think what he is is a slasher and he’s like a big guard who can slash a little bit maybe he’s I don’t think he’s a point guard I wouldn’t put him in that category but certainly like skinny and 66 um I thought him getting to the rim and finishing was nice um I’m not sure that he’s you know I I I kind of I’m intrigued by the package but I think there’s enough out there like he’s played enough NBA games that um you know people who’ve watched him more closely including my Uncle Matt who I asked for a Scouting Report Uncle Matt a big Hornets fan um big NBA fan but a Hornets but a Hornets Watcher um was like yeah his decision- making is tough and I think that was in the first couple games I’m like sometimes McGowan is making some decisions where you’re like well that’s not it that’s not it um if he could shoot he would be an NBA player um because I think he has enough like at his size he has enough skills to do a couple different things um worthy two-way guy like I think it’s it’s a interesting two-way guy but I feel like um whereas manah has like a really strong understanding of what he does I think Bryce mcgaw’s still kind of dialing in like how am I going to help um and I think that is just part of his just newness right like he’s just he’s just new to the program so um you know he’s played two freaking Summer League games he played for the Charlotte Hornets last week in California he’s literally brand new so I am no you know no judgments I no judgments of course I’m going to make judgments that’s what I do a freaking podcast but it’s like um these are softly held opinions I I’m just I’m giving my initial reactions and I’m I am I will I’m very malleable in in this opinion and as I watch him more the rest of the week and a little bit early in in the season and and if reports of Camp ET and then preseason stuff I’ll offer some more but like yeah I think he’s a worthy two-way guy okay let’s let’s talk to guys um Chris Murray was not very good Ryan ruper was really good to begin the game let’s talk about both of those dudes to close the show join me in the third segment won’t you first though I want to tell you that Today’s Show is brought to you by eBay Motors there’s three words you got to know it’s passion it’s drive it’s patience it’s the formula for winning championships and it’s also what keeps your ride or die alive eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and leveled up to Peak Performance whether that’s superchargers roof racks exhaust kits LED headlights more whether you’re into speed power or 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nice driveing dish from from uh Chris Murray and then he had a cut and a left-handed finish on on the on with his strong hand on the left side of the rim and it’s like oh oh this is the rupair game this is the bounce back I believed in right like I you know he’s he’s young and still growing and it’s like I don’t I’m not putting a lot of stock into him needing to be like a dominant uh a dominant summer league player but you it’s always better to watch guys play well than play poorly and he had nine points that first quarter and I was like this dude’s he’s really playing he’s really like this is really um you know he’s he’s getting to his spots he’s scoring in transition he’s not trying to do too much off the dribble like he’s just shoot drive like he’s making he’s making quick decisive decisive actions um exactly what you want to see he didn’t score for the rest of the game he didn’t score for the final three quarters I thought he had a great first quarter I thought he had a great first quarter um then he just kind of disappeared on offense he’s active on defense he’s active on defense um certainly he he has a lot of I’ve said this before about him he has a lot of want to on defense um there’s some you know sometimes he gets he can get beat and get um maybe bite a little bits and and get over overextend himself being a little too aggressive um uh trying to trying to make plays but he’s he’s he has a lot of want to he had um he took someone’s he had a steal in in uh in in the in the half court and then immediately jumped on the ball and turned it over trying to trying to Corral it like but he’s he has a lot of want to on defense I think I think he’s has tools to be a pretty good Defender as he gets there and like for a brief moment in that first quarter I could see the vision with rupar as a guy who can get himself to the rim with length he’s already shown that he’s a pretty good standstill shooter stand still shooter with touch to score inside defensive chops extremely long arms oh my goodness that’s a player it’s just there’s a lot of in between stuff where the details um get maybe get away from him and he doesn’t look as as cleanly like a as clean a path to being like an impactful NBA player but I don’t think this was a negative game for M by any means I just think it was like he had a really loud first quarter then he’s quiet after that on offense um he struggled a little bit with some decision- making late but I I I think in general um I think in general this was like uh a a this is a neutral rupair game with um with maybe some sort of you could see the outlines of what he can be on defense I like that Chris Murray took 17 shots I do I that that to me that rocks that’s the number that I wanted to see in the box score and I’m sharing it with you I got I’m going to have to lie about this box score stuff I’ve been sharing all types of numbers in in the from the box score I really like that Chris Murray took 17 shots that’s what I want him to do I want him to be aggressive I want him to be aggressive when he struggles I want him to continue to be aggressive of the entire game I want him to be the dude on the team who takes the the the most field goal attempts I I I think that is that is undeniably the right thing for him um he took nine threes it’s the right thing to do he just didn’t make enough shots he just didn’t make enough shots um he had two really nice passes in the first half two really nice passes one the driving kick to ruper another where he went Baseline and then threw it back into Alex ree for a bucket Alex ree The Backup backup center who’s playing for the remix um playing for the Blazers g-league team couple nice couple nice drives but he just the the shot looks it it you can watch him and it looks like he is rushing whether it’s his feet or his brain that is that is rushing it looks like he’s rushing I think his base gets screwed up sometimes like he just his feet are get a little hurried um and he’s taken he’s taken bad shots I think he’s overthinking it and saying like I got to make these These are good looks I got to make them leaving them short he missed one hard off the side of the rim you could tell Donovan kingan went to kind of go give him a high five and and Murray was like his reaction was like yeah here’s a high five and like angry right because it’s just like that is an ugly miss that I can make I know I need to be better um this was not a good game from Chris I like that he got the primary defensive assignment they put him on Jared McCain the the lottery pick for the Sixers um or the first you know early first round pick for the Sixers I like that I like that is he’s guarding a a you know a guard who can score who’s had some who’s had some nice plays in um in the early summer showing um I like that he’s getting those responsibilities I think that’s and and and um you want to see that right you want to see him get everything on his plate hardest defensive assignment shoot the most shots is exactly why Chris Murray is in is is in summer league right can you be the dude no like he can’t be right now I don’t think it’s too early to like to say like this was he had two bad Summer League games this is a nightmare like it’s it’s but Murray struggled on offense in year one he struggled on offense in these two games he’s got to find whether it’s confidence or skill and it’s both it’s it’s a combin of both obviously it’s always a combination of things um it’s it’s rarely black and white the world is gray um like it is he’s he needs to kind of work on his skill such that he feels like he is going to shoot threes and shoot him with conf like going to make threes and shoot him with confidence um that’s a lot to ask for a guy who struggle to shoot the way he has but I I think I think there is a better offensive player in there he’s got a little bit of passing chops um he doesn’t have the explosive physical burst he had one Rim check where he just like got himself into the rim with a nice move and then got to the got to the cup and had to go finish with his right hand and he just didn’t get high enough to to like make it an easy shot because he didn’t have the burst some of it is physical limitations right he has going to have some physical limitations with this athleticism that’s going to make it harder to get open for clean shots maybe get get off shots quickly he’s a little bit slower on the release and stuff like that but he can I I think Chris Murray can be better than this I just think it’s pretty clear that when the season starts starts he’s out of the rotation like he’s not going to be a day one contributor he’s there are other guys who are who were there was other guys who were obviously ahead of him before this but if this summer league was to like make it trickier and be like uh oh okay well what do we do with you know like I think the back half of the rotation for like for like the for the wing core is like tman Kamar and matis thel those guys are locks ahead of him then it’s like Jabari Walker and the little bit of like where they pencil in try to get the Robert Williams Donovan King and big guys and like I think maybe they’ll try to treat Rob Williams as a four play I don’t maybe that’s not a good idea but I it’s like how else he going to get on the court but Jabari Walker and Rob Williams they’re ahead of him too um and I think this summer league was maybe a chance for Chris to threaten those guys to say like well Chris deserves some you got to figure out a way to get him on the court some way somehow obviously trades can happen if the bl’s roster changes this the the like calculation is totally different but as things stand today I think Chris Murray’s outside the rotation on night one week one and uh he’s you know it it it’ll be on him to get better behind the scenes because uh if this summer league was supposed to be his breakouts he’s just struggled he’s struggled I I don’t think there’s we don’t need to to put too much uh to make it too Rosy I think he’s struggled um and he’s he just has to he’s going to have to be a stronger offensive player to find a way to to to crack an NBA rotation here’s the here’s the good news he gets other chances the Blazers play more games this week in fact they play tomorrow night let’s check the handy dandy schedule Tuesday night against the Washington Wizards at 5:30 um hopefully the Wizards are playing their dudes uh bub Carrington Alex SAR uh Kean George like they got some fun young players I hope everybody’s healthy and and and able to go that should be a good one Tuesday night that means you are listening to Tuesday July 16th show that means on Wednesday I will have a recap of that game we’ll talk about all of it um look for that in your feeds we do this five days a week wherever you get Podcast and also on YouTube tell your friends about it tell them it’s free on all platforms then come back for tomorrow’s show I appreciate you listening I’ll talk to you soon [Music]

Talking Game 2 of the Trail Blazers Summer League slate where Portland prevailed late in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Donovan Clingan had a much stronger Game 2, Jacky Cui made a cameo and hit some shots. Plus, we talk Bryce McGowens, Justin Minaya, Rayan Rupert and Kris Murray.

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