The Portland Trail Blazers are going to SURPRISE EVERYONE this season

The Portland Trail Blazers are going to SURPRISE EVERYONE this season

The Portland Trailblazers may not have been the best team in basketball, but this sure as hell was one of the most fun and exciting teams to watch in the NBA last year. This is a team that overachieved and exceeded all expectations. They were on the cusp of the NBA playing tournament. And I now believe with another year of development and growth, this is a team that is going to surprise a ton of people in the Western Conference next year. Now, first and foremost, I want to say this is the fourth time that I am recording this exact same video. The first time I had made a pre-recorded video and then Anthony Simons got traded like a day later so I had to scrap the entire video. The second time my microphone had died on me. The third time I didn’t even plug the mic in. So hopefully fourth time is the charm and I’m really excited to talk about this Blazers team with you guys here today. talking about some of the offseason moves that they’ve made, the overall direction of this team, the things that I like about the roster construction, the things that I don’t like about the roster construction, and where I really think that this team falls into into the Western Conference next year. So, let’s go ahead and talk about this Blazers team. Now, that does lead me into my first talking point, which is going to be about both Joe Cronin, the general manager, and head coach Chanty Bilips both receiving welldeserved contract extensions this off season. Now, I know a ton of Blazers fans didn’t want Bilips and Cronin back with the organization. I know a ton of people had been calling for their jobs for an extended period of time. And although I do understand, one thing I can preach from the outside looking into Blazers fans is patience. This direction of this organization has been trending in the right direction. Chanty Bilips is a man who I’ve spent time with and obviously have seen from a distance who I believe is a man and a leader of that locker room. He commands a certain voice. He has guys gravitate towards him. And I do believe that Shanty Bilips is the right guy. And for Joe Cronin, has all of his moves been incredible? Of course they haven’t. Has he made some sneaky good moves that has really helped propel this team? Absolutely. And I think Joe Cronin and Chanty Bilips, they are seeing eye to eye. They’re both working, you know, cohesively together. And that’s something that you want from both your general manager and your head coach who both are on the exact same page about what you’re trying to build, how you’re trying to build it, and the direction of your organization. Because if guys aren’t seeing eye to eye, it’s not going to work. So although I understand where a ton of Blazers fans are coming from with that perspective of Joe Cronin and Chanty Bilips, I preach patience and I say that this team is trending in the right direction and you saw it at the back half of last season when they finished out those final 41 games with a record of 23 and 18. They had won 10 out of 11 games. I believe it was in the middle of January where they really started to put things together and I think their only loss was to the Oklahoma City Thunder which obviously was the eventual champions. This Portland team, I promise you, is trending in the right direction. I sound like a broken record, but I firmly believe in Chanty Bilips and Joe Cronin. Just want to take a moment to say if you are enjoying today’s video and appreciating this type of work and coverage from me, the best and easiest way to support me is by liking, commenting, and subscribing down below. It’s free and it helps me out tremendously. My goal is to get this channel up to a,000 subscribers by the end of August. And if you guys want more exclusive content from me outside of YouTube on my social medias, the links are in the description down below in the link tree. But thank you so much and let’s go ahead and get back to today’s video. Now, for the Blazers, their biggest offseason move was trading away longtime guard Anthony Simons to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Drew Holiday. And let me say first and foremost for the people I know that are extremely tight-knit close with the Boston Celtics organization with Drew Holiday and his family. Let’s put basketball aside for a second and let me just be real with you guys. I have heard nothing but incredible great things about Drew Holiday, the man, the individual, and the type of character that he is. And I think that is going to be so impactful because not only is Drew Holiday on the basketball side, an incredible veteran, he’s going to be able to have that mentorship and he’s obviously has championship pedigree being an integral part to the success of two championship runs, one with Milwaukee, one with Boston. But Drew Holiday, the man is going to be an incredible man in that locker room and really just within the community. This guy, I’ve heard, is so charitable. This guy really cares about individuals. He cares about people outside of just himself. He’s a family man. Like this guy is a standup character and I think when you talk about a young locker room that features young backcourt guys like Shaden Sharp, Scoot Henderson especially, he’s not only going to be there to help develop and mentor them, he’s going to be able to have just that presence in the locker room which I don’t think you can quantify. You can’t put a price on it. And just having a character like Drew Holiday, man, it just goes without being said. Portland fans should be excited about having Drew Holiday there in Portland outside of just basketball because of the type of man that he is and what he’s going to be able to do in that community. But really getting back to the basketball side of things, did it suck for Portland fans and probably even Anthony Simons deep down to have to part ways? Of course it did because Anthony Simons had grown to love the community of Portland. Fans had grown and attached to him. But with Drew Holiday, despite the fact that he has three years, $104 million remaining on that contract, a player option in that final year in 2728, Drew Holiday, the basketball player, is going to be extremely great for this team both on and off the court. You talk about another great defensive piece onto this roster, which I expect to be a top five defense in basketball next season. You have Drew Holiday, who can pick up the opposing team’s best ball handler. You have Tammani Kamara on the wing. You have Donovan Klingan on the inside. That is three elite defenders right there. Not to even mention Matis Thyel coming off the bench. Drew Holiday is going to do wonders for this organization. He’s going to do wonders for Scoot Henderson and Shaden Sharp in terms of their development. And I can’t say enough about just how great of an individual Drew Holiday is. Blazers fans should be excited about him. Now, just to kind of rapidly fly through some of the other offseason moves that Portland’s had this offseason, and then I’ll briefly touch on them. We saw that DeAndre Aiden’s contract got bought out on the final year of his expiring deal prior to him signing with the Los Angeles Lakers. And just to be very brief with DeAndre Aiden, I don’t think he’s a bad player. I think he’s a very solid and productive player. Is he maybe number one overall pick worthy 2020 hindsight? Of course not. But when you take a look at it, DeAndre Aton has a proven track record of not just being a double double machine, but having an inconsistent motor and e effort level out there. Like let’s just call it what it is. His effort level is very wishy-washy. It’s extremely sporadic and you don’t know what DeAndre Aton you’re getting on a night in and night out basis. Hence why Monty Williams struggled with him. Hence why Chanty Bilips struggled with him and now that’s going to be JJ Reick’s responsibility with him. I don’t think Portland fans should be, you know, ranking on DeAndre Aiden. I don’t think anybody should be because I do think he’s a solid player, but at the end of the day, you do question his motor. You do sometimes question his integrity when it comes to the game of basketball and how badly he wants it. But the bright side is now you open up more minutes and opportunities for Donovan Klingan, for Yan Hansen and even Robert Williams who is a veteran who struggled with injuries in Portland. But overall you have a very promising bright young future in that front court with Yang Hansen and Donovan Klingan. And that kind of leads me to my next point talking about the Portland Trailblazers trading back from number 11 to number 16 in the draft where at 11 they could have potentially had Carter Bryant forward from Arizona. He was somebody that I had projected and mocked to Portland. But man oh man does that man look like a menace on the defensive side of the ball. His athleticism and just his defensive prowess. He’s going to be an AllNBA defender for years to come in the NBA. But back to the point, Yang Hansen was an absolute home run, grand slam, walk-off, bottom of the ninth home run pick for Joe Cronin in this organization. I said it a couple weeks ago during the draft. Yan Hansen is going to be a superstar in the NBA and you can already see the flashes of it throughout summer league. Now look, I am not trying to overreact to summer league. I’m trying my best not to. I’m trying not to. Portland fans are not trying to, but it is hard when you see Yang Hansen’s ability, his skill set, and his talents from what he was doing at the Chinese Basketball Association now being translated here to the NBA Summer League. His fluidity, his fuel for the game, his passing vision, just the way that he’s able to just never get rattled, his footwork, his ability to get inside. He even knocked down that three on the wing where he banked it in. Like, he is so gifted. Such a talent at 20 years of age. He reminds you so much of Nicole Joic. He reminds you so much of Alprren Shenun once he continues to get settled in completely and he refineses his game, has more experience. You can’t tell me that Donovan Klingan and Yang Hansen aren’t going to be the best young front court in the game of basketball. Like they simply are. You’ve got a defensive anchor in Klingan. You have the offensive arsenal and skill set in Yang Hansen. Like seriously, I think that this was such a great pick. He was a projected like second round pick at best and Crona took a swing and I absolutely applauded him for it. Now, only time will tell with Yan Hansen, but I made an entire video talking about him and his skill set just a couple of weeks ago. If you guys want to go ahead and see that video, I will go ahead and link to it up above cuz I know that you guys will enjoy it. But on one more note, what is the official nickname that we’re giving Yang Hansen? Because I’ve seen so many nicknames thrown out there and I just want one to stick to the wall and everyone’s like, “Yeah, that’s the nickname that we’re giving him.” Please tell me in the comments down below because I’ve seen the big tariff, probably my favorite one. I’ve seen Chinese Jokic. I’ve seen Handsome Young. I’ve seen King Cling Kong. Like, there’s so many nicknames out there. There’s got to be one that everyone gravitates towards. I’m personally leaning the big tariff. I think that’s funny. Um, but having said that, if there is a nickname that Portland fans have kind of attached to him, please tell me in the comments down below. Now, that kind of transitions me into my next point, really just talking about the roster construction, some of the concerns that I have with this team. And let’s talk about the concerns first, which is two things. One, who is going to be their go-to scorer in crunch time? Because I don’t believe that they have a number one option post Anthony Simons. Anthony Simons was your microwave. He was your bucket getter. He was the guy that could score on, you know, all three levels when you needed to come off pick and rolls. Now they don’t have that. Now you’re expecting, is it going to be Denny Advia to take that next step yet again like we saw last year. Is it going to be Shaden Sharp now? Is it going to be Scoot Henderson going into year three? Who is going to be the guy in crunch time when you say, “Hey, look, we’re down five points with three minutes left. We need you to rally us and, you know, we need to go out there and win this game.” Who is that guy going to be? That definitely concerns me. And secondly is this team needs shooting. This team desperately needs shooting. They have very limited shooters on the perimeter. That’s where Cory Kisspert really comes in as a perfect match made in heaven. Hopefully Joe Cronin can go out there and make a deal to try to acquire Cory Kisser, who I think would be a terrific fit in Portland. And speaking of deals, hopefully they can get off that terrible Jeremy Grant contract. What, three years, over $100 million he’s owed. Jeremy Grant’s contract is a depreciating contract. He’s a negative asset at this point. You already have so many good forwards in that front court with Denny Ovia and Tammani Kamara and Matis Thyel defensively. You need to find a way to get rid of Jeremy Grant. Even if you have to give up draft capital, please get off that contract. But some of the things that I do love about this roster is the fact that you’ve got such a unique and great blend of veterans and young players. Not only did I talk about some of the young players like Scoot Henderson, like Shaden Sharp, but you’ve also got some great veterans in there for that mentorship, right? Robert Williams, Drew Holiday, some of those guys that I’ve mentioned before. And I guess you could still look at some of their young core pieces like Tammani Kamar who was all NBA defensive second team last year, should have been first team. Donovan Klingan who has an opportunity to, you know, lament himself as one of the best defensive anchors in the NBA. There is so much promise with this team. I expect them to be a stout defensive top five unit in basketball. Offensively, they’re probably going to struggle right now with their roster construction, but if there’s any man who I think can really get this team going and trending in the right direction, it is Chanty Bips. I cannot say enough good things about Chanty Bips. really believe he is the right guy for this job. I’ve seen such tremendous growth from him both on and off the court and I do believe that guys gravitate towards him. He just has something very Deion Sandersesque about him, right? As a proven NBA veteran, as a proven NBA champion and as a wellrespected guy in the locker room, Chanty Bilips, Drew Holiday, these guys are going to do wonders for this organization. And these next couple of years are going to say a lot about the way that these young guys come together. But man oh man, do I believe Chanty Phillips is the right guy for this job. And the last two things that I want to talk about with this video, just to be very swift and brief, is last offseason when Joe Cronin had made that trade with the Washington Wizards to acquire Denny Ovia. Not only did Denny Ovia become like a fan favorite, he really took a huge step in his career, really cemented himself as a very solid foundational piece in Portland. So, I have to commend them for that. And then the next thing is I just want to know from Portland fans, what do they really expect from Scoot Henderson going into year three? because obviously he was a top three pick in the 2022 NBA draft. He was projected to be one of the next great point guards in this game and it obviously hasn’t panned out throughout the first two years which I don’t hold against Scoot Henderson. There were many things working against him but having said that I’ve seen flashes. I’ve seen the potential. I know that the athleticism and the skill set is there, but it’s so hard for me to project in such a almost crowded, you know, back court with Shaden Sharp, Drew Holiday, now Scoot Henderson. You know, what is this team going to look like? I don’t know. And I just don’t know specifically what Scoot Henderson’s going to look like. That’s what I want to know from you guys. What are realistic expectations for you? I would tell you I expect him to play 35, you know, like 30 to 35 minutes a night. I expect him to go out there and average, you know, 15, five and five. I think that’s realistic going into year three, but I also don’t want to over project or, you know, kind of lowball him. But overall, I am really excited to watch this Blazers team this upcoming season. I do believe that with their offseason moves and additions in another year of growth and development. This is a team and an organization that is ready to make the NBA play in tournament. I do believe that they’re going to end up being a nine or 10 seed in this year’s Western Conference, even in a rough Western Conference. And if you guys want a full list of, you know, Western Conference and Eastern Conference, you know, record predictions, I will go ahead and I will make a video for that at another time. Just let me know in the comments down below. But this Blazers team is going to surprise a ton of people with a very low and disrespectful, I believe, 32 33 12 Vegas odds projections for their win total on this year. I’m hammering the over and this Blazer team is going to surprise a ton of people. But thank you guys so much for watching today’s video and all of your guys’ continuous support. it doesn’t go unnoticed. If you guys want more exclusive content from me outside of just here on YouTube, you can go ahead and follow me on my socials. The links to all of them will be in the description down below, including all of my written work that I do for FanSighted. They’re all in the link tree in the description down below. But thank you guys again for watching, and as always, I’ll catch you on the next one. [Music]

The Portland Trail Blazers are my pick to be the sneaky good team this year in the Western Conference, and I believe in Chauncey Billups, their young core, and the overall direction of the organization. #yanghansen #nba #portlandtrailblazers

I can’t believe I forgot to mention Caleb Love, but I think he will make this roster and end up being a very good bench scorer in Portland for years to come. Thank you all so much for your support and I look forward to making more hoops related-content for y’all!

Here is my full article on Yang Hansen:
https://fansided.com/nba/blazers-surprise-pick-earns-chinese-jokic-comp

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