National Basketball Association

Trail Blazers vs Suns: Three Things to Watch

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0). Mandatory Credit: Godofredo Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

What are the biggest things to watch for tonight as the Trail Blazers host the Suns?

The Trail Blazers will hit the court tonight for their second preseason game of the year and will look to follow up on their solid performance against the Jazz. The Suns might be headed to the basement of the Western Conference, but they feature a lineup that is loaded with young talent. On top of the promising youngsters on the team, Phoenix also has some familiar faces in their coaching staff. Earl Watson (last played as a member of the Trail Blazers) is their head coach and former Portland assistant Jay Triano has jumped ship to take his expertise to a warmer climate.

Even though it is preseason – there will be plenty to watch for tonight. We’ve narrowed the list down to three major storylines, all of which should have some significance when it comes to the Trail Blazers being prepared for the regular season. Let’s now get into our first thing to watch for.

Eric Bledsoe (2) handles the ball against Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0). Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Flexibility

The last time the Suns’ Eric Bledsoe faced off against the Trail Blazers he went for an impressive 31 points. The former Kentucky guard is the exact prototype of player that Portland’s backcourt has struggled to stop since Wesley Matthews departed. Bledsoe’s extreme athletic ability will be a good barometer for how much (if any) Damian Lillard‘s defense has improved over the summer. Finding a way to slow down guards like this will be imperative for a Portland team that will likely face the Russell Westbrook led Thunder in some crucial games this season.

Lillard won’t be the only player facing a tough task tonight, as Al-Farouq Aminu will have his hands full in the post. Phoenix will trot out teenage sensation Marquese Chriss at power forward. Don’t let his age fool you, he appears to be an absolute force in the making. The former University of Washington phenom has all the tools to put the defensive minded Aminu to the test.

Oct 31, 2015; Portland, OR, USA. Mandatory Credit: Godofredo Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Players Return From Injury

The fight for the final roster spot will get much more interesting moving into the second game of the preseason. Noah Vonleh and Jake Layman appear to be ready to return to action, which will eat up the available minutes at the bottom end of the rotation. Grant Jerrett played 13 minutes against the Jazz and looked fairly competent, but adding two more players into the mix will make his margin for error even tighter.

Roster battles aside, this will be Vonleh’s opportunity to show that he has begun to make strides to becoming a viable option off of Terry Stotts’ bench. Entering his third year, it is time for the former Indiana forward to start showing why a team invested a lottery pick in his talents. The first step in that process will get underway tonight against a scrappy Suns team.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Shabazz Napier (6). Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

Can Shabazz Napier Continue His Strong Play?

Shabazz Napier had an impressive debut in front of the home crowd earlier this week. It will now be up to him to prove to everyone that it wasn’t a fluke. The well traveled reserve guard showed all the traits that NBA teams covet in their backup point guard. He shot the ball extremely well (2-3 from beyond the arc), limited his mistakes (only one turnover), and showed hustle on both ends of the court.

One of the biggest concerns facing the Trail Blazers going forward is how to maintain Lillard’s effectiveness over the course of a long season, and Napier might be the first viable option since Mo Williams. It is foolish to crown him as a legitimate backup after one game, but another strong performance against a team with a deep guard rotation would help solidify Napier’s case.

More from Rip City Project

This article originally appeared on

share

Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Basketball Association