In a normal Blazers season, Trendon Watford would undoubtedly have had long weeks on the bench, with a few bits of minutes gleaned here and there, when the meetings are over. This was the case in October or November for example since he had only played six minutes after 20 matches…
But as Portland’s season has gone very badly and the infirmary is very often full, in January he picked up the crumbs. Faced with injuries to Cody Zeller, Jusuf Nurkic and Larry Nance Jr, this two-way contract took what Chauncey Billups gave him.
“He can play as a strong winger and as a pivot”explains the Portland coach at The Oregonian. “He does the things that win games, have impact. He can dribble and make play. He has the feeling when the players enter to get into space. “
Last month, he shot at 5.1 points (57% shooting success) and averaged 3.4 rebounds in 14 minutes. These are not flamboyant figures, but this contribution was precious. The Blazers were able to rely on this interior of just 2m06 to do the dirty work while Jusuf Nurkic huffed on the bench.
“He was not in an easy situation, being a substitute pivot”believes CJ McCollum. “He is a gifted player, who can play in several positions: winger, strong winger or pivot. He can create the game, defend in several positions. He was excellent. He listens and works his game. He has a good floater. He knows how to play. “
This experience is invaluable for Trendon Watford who was not supposed to play as much so, like CJ Elleby for example, we had seen very little last season and we are already seeing more this season. “Earlier in the season, I was clearly nervous”admits the former LSU. “The more matches I played, the more comfortable I was. I do what Billups asks of me. “
Also undrafted before arriving in Houston in 2013, Robert Covington has seen his 21-year-old teammate seize a golden opportunity in recent weeks. “You have to be present and be reliable. That’s what he did “, notes the winger. “He is there, he is efficient. When you don’t play, it’s hard. Now he’s in the rotation. He took a huge leap forward and progressed. “
| Trendon Watford | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2021-22 | ORP | 24 | 11 | 55.7 | 0.0 | 65.2 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 3.9 |
| Total | 24 | 11 | 55.7 | 0.0 | 65.2 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 3.9 | |
