Obviously, not all things in 2019 are going to be as they were in 2018, so I'm not suggesting these rates are locked in. I just want to use them to show that building around a star running back (or even two, depending on the flow of your draft) is the percentage play based on data gathered from the past four seasons (and especially last year). And as we've just learned, class ... AT A FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL, THE KEY TO FANTASY FOOTBALL SUCCESS IS MINIMIZING RISK ON A WEEKLY BASIS TO GIVE YOURSELF THE BEST ODDS TO WIN.
Draft Day Sports: Pro Basketball 2019 crack only
At this point in the draft, you should have the core of your starting lineup. Through the first six rounds, you've likely got at least two starting running backs, two starting wide receivers and one flex. And for me, I'll likely not only have a flex but a strong bench player as well.
I had the crack team here at ESPN HQ study the millions of people who play with us on ESPN.com -- more than any place else! For free! With an amazing app that is also free! And controls all of your leagues and teams in any ESPN fantasy sport! And has rankings, articles, videos and more! And you can mock draft from it at any time! Except when you're driving. That would be bad. Don't mock and drive, kids. But yeah, want to start a new league? Activate an old one? Honestly, our ESPN Fantasy App is badass and can do everything, including, I am pretty sure, cure the common cold. It's also 100 percent free! -- look at all the most common players on teams that won it all in 2018.
From Week 10 on last season, only five defenses scored more fantasy points than the Colts. During that stretch, Indianapolis allowed less than 17 points per game. The Colts also spent seven of their first eight draft picks on defensive players this year.
The New York Jets have signed safety John Battle to an undrafted free agent contract following the 2019 NFL Draft, sending Battle to join back up with former LSU safety Jamal Adams, a starter at safety for the Jets who also started alongside Battle in Baton Rouge. Adams was selected by the Jets with the sixth overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
He was one of six former LSU players who joined NFL rosters over the weekend. Devin White was taken in the first round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Greedy Williams going to the Cleveland Browns in the second round. Foster Moreau was LSU's final player drafted in 2019, going in the fourth round to the Oakland Raiders. Garrett Brumfield signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent, while Nick Brossette inked a free agent deal with the New England Patriots.
He was one of six former LSU players who joined NFL rosters over the weekend. Devin White was taken in the first round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Greedy Williams going to the Cleveland Browns in the second round. Foster Moreau was LSU's final player drafted in 2019, going in the fourth round to the Oakland Raiders. Jamal Adams signed an undrafted free agent deal with the New York Jets, while Nick Brossette inked a free agent deal with the New England Patriots.
After going through the seven rounds of the NFL Draft without hearing his name called, Brossette entered free agency with a chance to pick his landing spot, and he jumped on the opportunity to join up with the New England Patriots. On Sunday, Brossette signed an undrafted free agent contract with New England, giving him the chance to land on the team's 53-man roster or practice squad ahead of the 2019-20 season next fall.
Brossette was one of six former LSU players who joined NFL rosters over the weekend. Devin White was taken in the first round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Greedy Williams going to the Cleveland Browns in the second round. Foster Moreau was LSU's final player drafted in 2019, going in the fourth round to the Oakland Raiders. John Battle came off the board first once the draft ended, signing an undrafted free agent deal with the New York Jets. Garrett Brumfield then signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent.
It's also worth noting that on paper New Orleans has one of the deepest rosters in the league, 14 players on guaranteed contracts for the upcoming season, so drafting a rookie and having that player crack the rotation won't be easy.
Given how stuffed the roster is, it's hard to envision the Pels using both picks they currently have in the second round. My expectation is that one or both are traded or sold. Another possibility, Griff and Pelicans General Manager Trajan Langdon following their play book from 2019 going the 'draft and stash route.'
Except, Jenkins struggled to crack the starting lineup as a rookie. He played in 61 games, but only averaged 14.8 minutes per game and his playing time went down in the ensuing years. In fact, the 17.5 minutes Jenkins is currently averaging in two games as a Knick are a career-high.
Portland Trail Blazers basketball is nearly back, and that means we can for the most part finally put to rest the speculation on who will be on the roster come opening day. But that doesn\u2019t mean we quite know who will step and perform in a big way once game day actually does roll around.\nWhat would it look if we tried to rank each player on the current Trail Blazers roster? We found this train of thought interesting, so four members of the team here at Rip City Project submitted their personal player rankings and we compiled an aggregate score to come to mutually agreed upon decision.\n\n\tMore from Rip City Project\n\t\n\t\t\t3 trade ideas to get the Trail Blazers some more size before the deadline\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t1 Portland Trail Blazers trade target to consider at every position\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tYahoo: Blazers open to moving Nurkic, Hart to build \u2018playoff contender\u2019\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWhy Blazers\u2019 fan favorite should be on the table in OG Anunoby trade\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tPortland Trail Blazers\u2019 reported interested in Jakob Poeltl is a huge mistake\n\t\t\t\t\n\nWhile we may have debated and hashed out where each player deserves to fall, there is one thing we could all agree upon: the Portland Trail Blazers have some of the world\u2019s top talent littered across the roster.\nFrom superstars to sleepers, we took a look at the entirety of the Blazers roster and ranked them accordingly. Only expected contributions for the 2019-20 season were considered, so future potential has no bearing on where each player fell.\nContributions provided by Austin Carroll, Carson Brown, Andrew Zahnd, and Isaac Baker.\n\u00a0\n\n \n Next:\u00a0No. 14-15\n \n"},"title":"Portland Trail Blazers: Ranking each player on the 2019-20 roster","permalink":"https:\/\/ripcityproject.com\/2019\/10\/06\/portland-trail-blazers-ranking-player-2019-20-roster\/2\/","shortCodeTitle":null,"content":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tGary Trent Jr. #2 of the Portland Trail Blazers (Photo by Bart Young\/NBAE via Getty Images)\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n14. Gary Trent Jr.\nIf there was ever a wild card on the Portland Trail Blazers roster, Gary Trent Jr. would surely fill the role better than most. After scoring 14.5 points per game on 40.2 percent shooting from deep for the Duke Blue Devils, the Blazers selected Gary Trent Jr. No. 37 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.\nWhile that hasn\u2019t translated to NBA play just yet, that potential is exactly what Portland was banking on when they used their second-round draft pick on him. Perhaps all he needs is a more consistent role instead of just filling in garbage time to really showcase his talents.\nAnd don\u2019t be mistaken, Trent Jr. sure is talented. In six games with the Texas Legends in G League play, he scored 33.3 points and nailed 50 percent of his 3-point shots while taking 10 attempts from downtown per contest. That last part is critical, because many people were unsure if his shooting would translate from college after only making 23.8 percent of his shots from beyond the arc in the NBA.\nAgain, maybe a new year and an increased workload will allow Trent Jr. to finally follow in his father\u2019s foot steps and establish a firm role in the league.\n\u2014 Carroll\n13. Skal Labissiere\nEntering the final year of his rookie scale contract, does anyone know what to make of Skal Labissiere? Despite flashes of becoming a solid rotational player in the NBA, the former first-round pick out of Kentucky has thus far struggled to establish a grip on an actual spot in the rotation of an NBA team.\nHe only played a total of 63 minutes with the Portland Trail Blazers last season, leaving many fans scratching their heads on what\u2019s to come for the big man. If he can put together a respectable outing this season in a contract year, he may earn a real place in the league.\nAnd he should get every opportunity to prove he\u2019s worth the money this season, considering the shallow depth in the Blazers frontcourt rotation. Jusuf Nurkic won\u2019t be back until 2020, Pau Gasol and Anthony Tolliver are well past their primes, and Hassan Whiteside and Zach Collins have both struggled with staying out of foul trouble over the course of their careers.\nNow is the time for the youth to shine. Even if he only averages 15 to 20 minutes per game, that would be a big win for Skal. His solid rim protection ability combined with a career 37.5 percent mark from deep indicate he has the makings of a nice complementary player.\n\u2014 Carroll\n\n \n Next:\u00a0No. 12-13\n \n","title":"Portland Trail Blazers: Ranking each player on the 2019-20 roster","permalink":"https:\/\/ripcityproject.com\/2019\/10\/06\/portland-trail-blazers-ranking-player-2019-20-roster\/3\/","shortCodeTitle":null,"content":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNassir Little #9 of the Portland Trail Blazers poses for a portrait during the 2019 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot (Photo by Sean Berry\/NBAE via Getty Images)\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n12. Pau Gasol\nOver the course of his career, Pau Gasol has been selected to six All-Star games, named to four All-NBA teams, and won two NBA championships with the Lakers. Having a guy that is as accomplished as Gasol on the Portland Trail Blazers could be crucial to winning a championship this season.\nPortland has the talent to win a championship, but they\u2019ll also need locker room leaders to help get the most out of the young core. No matter what Gasol does on the court this season, his presence in practice as a mentor figure could play a huge factor in Portland\u2019s upcoming success.\nAr 39-years-old, Gasol probably no longer has the athleticism or skill set to be a successful role player in the NBA this year. In fact, his statistical performance has drastically dropped over the past few seasons.\nI do not expect Pau Gasol to get any significant playing time this season. He will provide depth in the mix of bigs that Portland has to offer. He knows exactly what it takes to win a ring, and I expect him to bring that mentality to Portland Trail Blazers this season.\n\u2014 Baker\n11. Nassir Little\nNassir Little oozes natural talent. Seriously, it would be hard to build a better physical profile for a basketball player that could still remain on the board at No. 25 overall. Normally, that would be a cause for concern. Surely a player of that caliber must have underlying injury issues, or was an issue in the locker room?\nNo, the only thing faulty with Nassir\u2019s game is that he wasn\u2019t given enough chances at North Carolina. Head coach Roy Williams purposefully restricts most freshman from playing starting minutes due to the fact they\u2019re usually too untested, too immature (in a basketball sense), and too raw.\nSo far, that seems like an accurate analysis. Little has looked very much like a long-term project player during his relatively short stint with the Blazers. In four games of Summer League play, he averaged a paltry 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest.\nBut considering the fact he\u2019s owed just shy of $11 million over the next four years \u2014 assuming Portland picks up his two years of team options \u2014 Little is exactly the type of player you want to gamble on. His huge 7-foot-2, 220 pound frame could allow him to become an elite wing defender.\nThe best part is, he doesn\u2019t need to become the player right away. Or next year. Or even the year after. He just needs to show positive progression in Portland\u2019s system and do the little things he can to help the Blazers win whenever his number is called upon.\n\u2014 Carroll\n\n \n Next:\u00a0No. 9-10\n \n","title":"Portland Trail Blazers: Ranking each player on the 2019-20 roster","permalink":"https:\/\/ripcityproject.com\/2019\/10\/06\/portland-trail-blazers-ranking-player-2019-20-roster\/4\/","shortCodeTitle":null,"content":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tZach Collins #33 of the Portland Trail Blazers shoots the ball against Anthony Tolliver (Photo by Hannah Foslien\/Getty Images)\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n10. Anthony Tolliver\nWhat were the Portland Trail Blazers desperately missing during last year\u2019s playoff run? Shooting. If nothing else, what can you count upon Anthony Tolliver to provide? Shooting.\nFor that reason alone, Tolliver was worth every penny of his veteran\u2019s minimum contract. He could just stand patiently in the corner and wait for passes while Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum collapse opposing defenses and earn his paycheck.\nBut even at 34-years-old, Tolliver can do so much more. Whether it\u2019s highlight reel blocks on Giannis Antetokounmpo, or providing veteran leadership that helps teams developing teams outperform their preseason expectations, Tolliver brings a lot to the table.\nAnd of course, he can shoot the lights out. Over the last three seasons, Tolliver has hit 40.7 percent of his shots from deep on a respectable sample size of 3.9 attempts per game. Considering this will be Tolliver\u2019s first postseason since 2016 \u2014 and only the fourth of his entire career \u2014 expect him to play his heart out as he helps usher the Blazers towards a championship.\n\u2014 Carroll\n9. Mario Hezonja\nIn a few months time, there\u2019s a very real chance we look at this and think about how silly we were for placing Mario Hezonja as the ninth best player on the Portland Trail Blazers. The irony here? He could very move up OR down this list.\nAs a former No. 5 pick, Hezonja has had a lot of expectations set upon on shoulders over the course of his short career. Thus far, he has struggled mightily. Hezonja has a career -3.0 Box Plus\/Minus and has posted a negative amount of Win Shares in two of his four seasons.\nWhether this is massive failure on behalf of Orlando and New York\u2019s player development departments, or on Hezonja\u2019s own shoulders remains to be seen. Portland offers the ideal situation for Super Mario, which likely explains why he signed a minimum contract with the Blazers before even truly testing his value in this summer\u2019s free agency period.\nHead coach Terry Stotts should be looking forward to employing Hezonja in a versatile offense. Capable of playing both forward positions and also assuming the role as a secondary ball handler, there\u2019s a lot of untapped potential Hezonja still has to offer. But this season should decide if he\u2019s ever likely to fulfill his projected ceiling.\n\u2014 Carroll\n\n \n Next:\u00a0No. 7-8\n \n","title":"Portland Trail Blazers: Ranking each player on the 2019-20 roster","permalink":"https:\/\/ripcityproject.com\/2019\/10\/06\/portland-trail-blazers-ranking-player-2019-20-roster\/5\/","shortCodeTitle":null,"content":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAnfernee Simons #1 of Portland Trail Blazers handles the ball against the Utah Jazz o (Photo by Chris Elise\/NBAE via Getty Images)\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n8. Anfernee Simons\nOf all the changes that will come for the Portland Trail Blazer team this upcoming season, the most exciting of them all is the addition of Anfernee Simons to the rotation.\u00a0 The hype is unreal behind Simons with his explosion at the end of the year against the Kings and the show he put on in this year\u2019s summer league.\n \t\n \t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tgoogletag.cmd.push(function () \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tgoogletag.defineSlot(\"\/175840252\/fansided.com\/RipCityProject\/mpu\",[300, 250], \"minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet\")\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t.addService(googletag.pubads());\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tgoogletag.enableServices();\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tgoogletag.display(\"minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet\");\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t);\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\n \t\n \t\n \nThe exact role for Simons still lies unclear, but there is no way Stotts keeps the 20-year-old out of the rotation with no clear-cut backup point guard on the roster. Simons has it all. With a jumper as smooth as silk and a leaping ability that leaves fans speechless he seems primed to make a jump into the national spotlight.\nSimons also has potential to be an incredible facilitator for the second unit. His ability to create off the dribble paired with what\u2019s in the rest of the arsenal gives him potential to be lethal.\nSimons is expected to take the leap that all Blazers fans are intrigued about. Simons\u2019 potential is through the roof and the role of second unit leader is his for the taking.\n\u2014 Brown\n7. Kent Bazemore\nPrior to this summer\u2019s free agency period, the Hawks sent Kent Bazemore to Portland in late June. This new addition to the wing rotation came at the expense of Evan Turner who was underwhelming in his stint with the Blazers and lacked consistency.\nBazemore just turned 30 and is heading into eighth season refreshed and ready for an opportunity to with a different organization. With Portland\u2019s backcourt being as loaded as it is, there will be plenty of opportunities for him to get open looks and score while the defense is focused on the Blazers\u2019 guards\nAt times Bazemore looked like lethal last year for the Hawks. With two games scoring over thirty points and many games above the twenty point mark he has solidified himself as a decent NBA scorer. Where the concern comes with Bazemore is that every exceptional game comes with a lousy performance or two.\nBazemore does shoot the ball somewhat well and brings a contagious energy level on the defensive end. He has the ability to be an excellent addition for this Trail Blazers team as long as he understands his role and can be consistent on a nightly basis.\n\u2014 Brown\n\n \n Next:\u00a0No. 5-6\n \n","title":"Portland Trail Blazers: Ranking each player on the 2019-20 roster","permalink":"https:\/\/ripcityproject.com\/2019\/10\/06\/portland-trail-blazers-ranking-player-2019-20-roster\/6\/","shortCodeTitle":null,"content":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tZach Collins #33 and Jusuf Nurkic #27 of the Portland Trail Blazers high five (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein\/NBAE via Getty Images)\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n6. Zach Collins\nThe prevailing notion this offseason was that Zach Collins works his way into the Blazers starting lineup this season at power forward. Our suspicions were eventually confirmed at Portland\u2019s Media Day. It will be a role Collins is not accustomed to, and there\u2019s the possibility he could pose as the Blazers \u201cweak link\u201d in the starting rotation.\nDespite the concerns, Collins is a stud. He is a fiery 21-year-old who oozes potential that the Blazers will look to draw out of him this season. Much will be asked of Collins, but the question remains if he will be able to turn his potential into on-court production and leave his bad habits in the past.\nSpecifically, Collins has an inclination for impetuous decisions on the defense end of the court, an area the Blazers will rely on him to improve. This season, we should expect a slightly smarter, matured version of the 7-footer. Now in his third season with the Blazers, Collins will be counted on for a heavy share of the rebounding responsibilities and will need to act as the imposing defensive presence that Al-Farouq Aminu and Maurice Harkless were the past few seasons.\nSecondly, the offensive playmakers will need Collins to develop a more reliable 3-point shot. The bulk of scoring and ball handling for the Trail Blazers will \u2014 unsurprisingly \u2014 come from Portland\u2019s star guard duo. However, Collins\u2019 shooting consistency will play a large role in spreading the floor and allow Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum to hit their spots and operate without the fear of constant double-teams.\nOverall, Collins is still a work in progress. He has a long road to fulfilling his potential and becoming the player the Blazers need him to be. But, despite being an unfinished piece, we can absolutely expect some rapid developments with his instincts on the defensive end of the court and a sharp improvement in his shooting efficiency.\n\u2014 Zahnd\n5. Jusuf Nurkic\nNurkic was reaching new heights prior to the horrific injury that happened in the midst of what was one of the best performances of his young career. With the uncertainty of when Nurkic will return from his gruesome leg injury he suffered in late March of last year not much is expected of him.\nThe primary goal for Jusuf Nurkic is to spend the first portion of the season rehabilitating\u00a0and preparing for his return. When the time comes for Nurkic to return to action his number one focus should be centered around feeling comfortable and avoiding re-injury (as is so common for players of his stature) rather than putting up numbers or hauling big minutes.\nThis Trail Blazers team is equipped to make a deep playoff push in the Western Conference even without Nurkic and that\u2019s why he should take his time and do whatever he can to be 100 percent when playoff time rolls around in early April. When Nurkic is in full swing he\u2019s not only the Trail Blazers third best player but one of the better true big men this league has to offer. Portland has developed an intense love for their Bosnian big man and are eager to finally see him return action, whenever that time may be.\n\u2014 Brown\n\n \n Next:\u00a0No. 3-4\n \n","title":"Portland Trail Blazers: Ranking each player on the 2019-20 roster","permalink":"https:\/\/ripcityproject.com\/2019\/10\/06\/portland-trail-blazers-ranking-player-2019-20-roster\/7\/","shortCodeTitle":null,"content":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tRodney Hood #5 of the Portland Trail Blazers shoots a free throw (Photo by Sam Forencich\/NBAE via Getty Images)\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n4. Rodney Hood\nThe official role for Rodney Hood is still in question. The decision on whether he should start at small forward or plays the part as a crucial sixth man off the bench remains to be seen, but the expectations from him this season clear nonetheless.\nHood made a statement with his performance throughout the Trail Blazers playoff run in the spring of last year and they will be banking on history repeating itself with Hood\u2019s career performance. He will be\u00a0expected to be reliable and consistent. He showcased his offensive arsenal at times and seems ready to elevate his game into the legitimate third scorer the Blazers have long sought after.\nOn the rare occasions we see Lillard and McCollum struggle to find a rhythm, Hood needs to be ready for those nights. His ability to shoot off the dribble and catch and shoot from deep makes him a tremendous third option for this Trail Blazers team.\nWith the uncertainty of Nurkic\u2019s return and with the loss of Aminu and Harkless, Hood should be looking to elevate his scoring contribution in the regular season as well, instead of saving that explosion for the postseason. In the 27 games Hood played with the Trail Blazers, he averaged just 9.6 points per game, but expect that to be number to more in mid to low teens as the season gets underway.\n\u2014 Brown\n3. Hassan Whiteside\nDespite our best efforts over here at Rip City Project, many of the Blazers faithful refuse to believe that Hassan Whiteside can become a major contributor on a championship roster. His albatross contract, locker room issues in Miami, and general demeanor are seen by some as too much baggage to be introducing into the Portland locker room.\nAs you may have noticed, the narrative on Whiteside in recent weeks has switched from, \u201coverpaid headcase past his prime,\u201d to, \u201coverpaid headcase that values stats more than winning.\u201d We\u2019d like to think we played a small part in this transition.\nIn a blind poll of 294 people, 75 percent chose Whiteside over other highly valued rim-running centers like Andre Drummond, Clint Capela and Steven Adams.\nWhen speaking to Jason Quick of the Athletic, Whiteside seemed ecstatic about the possibility of having real shot creators on the perimeter to dish it out to, \u201cThey have so much movement, they have so many different plays and reads, I can probably get a triple-double with assists here. You know, I\u2019ve been getting so many assists and dimes\u2026 I\u2019m playing more like a point-center here\u2026 There\u2019s scrimmages we have where I have six, seven assists like that.\u201d\nOf course, instead of giving the man credit for trying to overcome his ball-hog tendencies in the paint, critics are now painting him as a stat sheet stuffer. Don\u2019t get me wrong, there\u2019s plenty Whiteside can improve upon. He could set better screens. He could have a more versatile arsenal of post moves. But he\u2019s not a big man Russell Westbrook. And he will be an incredibly valuable asset for Portland next season.\n\u2014 Carroll\n\n \n Next:\u00a0No. 1-2\n \n","title":"Portland Trail Blazers: Ranking each player on the 2019-20 roster","permalink":"https:\/\/ripcityproject.com\/2019\/10\/06\/portland-trail-blazers-ranking-player-2019-20-roster\/8\/","shortCodeTitle":null,"content":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tPORTLAND, OR \u2013 APRIL 14: Damian Lillard #0 and CJ McCollum #3 of the Portland Trail Blazers (Photo by Steve Dykes\/Getty Images)\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n2. CJ McCollum\nFor the most part, we know who CJ McCollum is and we know what he brings to the Trail Blazers. His expectations for the upcoming season don\u2019t have a massive range \u2014 the Blazers know what they will get from him.\nMcCollum was the Blazers go-to scorer down the stretch in the final games against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semi-Finals. His ability to score at will led the Blazers to the Conference Finals. With his stellar contributions, CJ finally put all the previous trade rumors to bed and proved he is a vital piece of the Trail Blazers\u2019 championship aspirations.\nThe best-case scenario for CJ this season is that he takes enough small strides forward in his weaker areas that he is finally awarded his much anticipated first trip to the All-Star game. In order to get there, McCollum will have to flirt with 50-40-90 efficiency. Although that will be a tall task, he has previously showcased the ability to do so \u2014 coming just 2 field goal percentage points short of hitting that mark in 2017. Since then, his 3-point shooting has dipped and his ability to get to the free throw line has been less than exceptional.\nThis season, the Blazers will also expect McCollum to field significant minutes with the second unit in the game. CJ\u2019s ability to play alongside Anfernee Simons will be instrumental in allowing the Blazers to toy with multiple lineups and throw different looks at defenses.\nAt the end of the day, the worst case scenario is that McCollum doesn\u2019t make many improvements and repeats his 2018-2019 season. Though the Blazers won\u2019t be expecting any massive advances from McCollum, a few small strides in the right direction will get CJ one step closer to the All-Star game, and the Blazers one step closer to a ring.\n\u2014 Zahnd\n1. Damian Lillard\nWhat\u2019s there left to say about Damian Lillard that he hasn\u2019t already shown us on the court? After all, that\u2019s been his personal mantra for several seasons now. Instead of displaying his workout videos on social media for the world to see, Lillard has opted to put the work in behind the scenes and allow the people to judge if it was enough.\nAfter last year\u2019s storybook performance in the playoffs, the critics have all seemed to jump ship. In fact, he was so dominant that he scored more points in last year\u2019s playoffs than 216 players scored over the course of the entire regular season (among those that played at least 10 games total), including players like Rajon Rondo, Andre Iguodala, Dirk Nowitzki, and even Portland\u2019s own Meyers Leonard.\nWith his future secure after signing an enormous four-year, $196 million extension, Dame can play comfortably purely for the sake of winning instead of worrying about his financial security.\n\n \n \n Next:\u00a0ESPN's power rankings underestimate Portland\n \n \n\n\nOh, and let\u2019s not forget that the two highest scoring seasons of Lillard\u2019s career have come directly after he released an album in the previous summer. This seems to be the most focused and tuned in he has been thus far, promoting his music, filming in Hollywood, and honing his craft on the court. Something tells me we have yet to see Lillard at his best, and this could be the year he puts his name in the conversation for an MVP award.\n\u2014 Carroll"],"useSlideSources":true,"themeType":"classic","prevPost":"https:\/\/ripcityproject.com\/2019\/10\/05\/espn-underrates-portland-trail-blazers-preseason-power-rankings\/","nextPost":"https:\/\/ripcityproject.com\/2019\/10\/06\/portland-trail-blazers-questions-that-need-answering-in-pre-season\/","prevText":"Prev","nextText":"Next","buttonWidth":0,"buttonWidth_post":0,"postUrl":"https:\/\/ripcityproject.com\/2019\/10\/06\/portland-trail-blazers-ranking-player-2019-20-roster\/","postId":77785,"refreshAds":true,"refreshAdsEveryNSlides":1,"adRefreshingMechanism":"javascript","siteUrl":"https:\/\/ripcityproject.com","prevText_post":"Prev post","nextText_post":"Next post"}; (function ($) $(document).ready(function () try tpsInstance = new tps.createSlideshow(tpsOptions); catch(e) ); (jQuery)); (function () // create the elements and set all attributes:var conversationScript = document.createElement('script');conversationScript.setAttribute('async', 'true');conversationScript.setAttribute('src', ' _xY7VHcqD');conversationScript.setAttribute('data-spotim-module', 'spotim-launcher');conversationScript.setAttribute('data-post-url', ' -trail-blazers-ranking-player-2019-20-roster/');conversationScript.setAttribute('data-post-id', '77785');conversationScript.setAttribute('data-spotim-multi-instance', true);conversationScript.setAttribute('data-article-tags', 'Portland Trail Blazers');conversationScript.setAttribute('data-disqus-url', ' -trail-blazers-ranking-player-2019-20-roster/#!');conversationScript.setAttribute('data-disqus-identifier', '77785 =77785');// append the elements to the container:var container = document.querySelector('#comments-wrapper-77785');container.appendChild(conversationScript);)(); Top StoriesRip City Project 3 yearsPortland Trail Blazers: Questions that need answering in pre-season
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