Most Recent Articles

Analysis, Free Agency, Offseason

Blazers Sign Dennis Smith Jr, Marquese Chriss To Training Camp

Editor-in-chief

Blazersland.com Editor-in-chief, Chris Craig, was born in Texas but has been a Blazer fan since he can remember. He grew up in Portland, playing street ball on the local court. He has played and coached at the high school level. He received a bachelor’s in English from Portland State University.

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed guard Dennis Smith Jr and power forward Marquese Chriss to unguaranteed contracts. The two will battle it out in training camp with begins September 28th for the 14 roster spot.

Smith jr a 6th year veteran has averaged 11.8 points and 4.4 assists a game for his career. Last season with Detroit, he averaged 7.3 points and 3.7 assists in limited minutes. Smith Jr who was drafted at #9 in 2017 was touted as a future all star but due to injury and missed opportunity he has yet to realize that potential. He is a high IQ play maker, a solid distributor, and at times an octane scorer.

Marquese Chriss, the 8th pick in the 2016 draft has shown promise, but has never been able to find his place in the league. He had a tepid rookie year with the Suns. Despite career highs in points (27) and blocks in a game (5), inconsistency overtook promise. Chriss bounced around with several teams before playing most recently with the Golden State Warriors where he averaged 9.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists before suffering a season ending injury.

The Blazers are also interested in bringing Michael Beasley, James Ennis, Isaiah Hartenstein,and Patrick Patterson into training camp to vie for the remaining roster spots as well.

Sep 8, 2021Editor-in-chief

Leave a reply

You must be logged in to post a comment. - Log in

Analysis, Lists, Nostalgia

Blazers Top 10 Centers

In forty nine seasons, the Portland Trail Blazers have had sixty seven centers. Most of them not lasting more than a year on the team. But, there are a handful of them who not only endured, but made a lasting impression on the team and fans. Some of them helped lead the Blazers deep into […]

Analysis, Lists, Nostalgia

Blazers Top 10 Shooting Guards

One of the most important positions in basketball, the shooting guard is often the primary scorer. They are depended on to be sharpshooters from the arc, to get to the basket with ease, and use their quickness to steal the ball from opponents. The Blazers have had some of the best shooters, some of […]

Analysis, Lists, Nostalgia

Blazers Top 10 Point Guards

The point guard is in ways the most important and hardest position in the game of basketball.To be successful It requires not only skill and talent on the physical level, but the sharpest of minds. A point guard has to see the whole court, his fellow players, understand the game plan and execute it with […]

Stealing Rip City?

Professional sports is a business. We are constantly reminded of that fact, as our favorite players leave in free agency (like LaMarcus Aldridge), and our arenas are renamed after failing healthcare corporations. But at the heart of pro sports, there is supposed to be a deep connection between the team and the city it represents. […]

Where Will Hassan Whiteside Go?

As I posted yesterday on S2 would be happening this morning, I was able to have a conversation with someone who has been very plugged into the NBA for a number of years and whose opinion I greatly respect. It has been suggested that Portland is one of the places that will get consideration for […]