The Portland Trailblazers get buckets. This is no secret. The pair of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum have averaged over 54 points per game in the 2019 NBA Playoffs. With Al Farouq-Aminu likely leaving Portland in free agency, the Trailblazers would do well to begin investing in Matisse Thybulle.
Thybulle averaged 3.5 steals and 2.2 blocks per game en route to winning the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award. Thybulle’s impressive defensive IQ and positioning would complement Portland’s system tremendously, lightening the workload of the star backcourt of Lillard and McCollum.
Talen Horton-Tucker will fall into the lap of the Cleveland Cavaliers here at 26, even after taking Barrett second overall. Horton-Tucker’s 230 pound frame allows him to play like a human wrecking ball on the court.
As a bench piece, Horton-Tucker could further develop his game playing against weaker competition and raise his confidence. For a team that’s taking their first baby steps to rebuild, Horton-Tucker’s hustle play will help build a positive and competitive locker room culture.