How does Allen Crabbe fit with the Portland Trail Blazers?
The Portland Trail Blazers are a team of young players with upside. Some have higher ceilings than others, and all are on low-risk, high-reward contracts (even the face of the franchise, Damian Lillard).
Allen Crabbe is one of Portland's most overlooked assets, a 23-year-old who barely played in his first two seasons. Crabbe has fantastic size (he's 6'6") and is a decent enough shooter from long range. But what will his role be on this year's team? SB Nation's Blazer's Edge has a look right here:
As outlined above, Crabbe could have a difficult time earning minutes on such a crowded roster. But he's a nice, cheap depth option in case Portland has injury trouble on the wing.
Crabbe will make less than $1 million this season, and the Trail Blazers can make him a restricted free agent next summer if they extend a qualifying offer.
(h/t: Blazer's Edge)
Crabbe is far from the only wing deserving of the Trail Blazers’ attention, and even though he can play both the shooting guard and small forward position, he cannot be argued up to anything past the second option, at best, for either. Gerald Henderson and CJ McCollum have him edged at shooting guard, while Al-Farouq Aminu stands in front of him at small forward, and Moe Harkless contends for equal footing as the primary backup. An empirical look at the depth chart places Crabbe’s ceiling at a second/third string tweener.
