Blazers v. Rockets

Portland:

Luke Babbitt played good. Slashed to the rim and converted most times. A shooter. Decent passing ability. He’s not a great defender at all, actually probably below average. Gets lost in rotations and lacks some strength it seems. Average on the ball. Rebounds pretty good. He’ll see some limited time next year it seems. Needs to polish some of his offensive tools and get better on D, but he has some decent offensive potential.

Patty Mills is fast as hell. Can play in transition and is also a solid shooter with good range. Showed DRASTICALLY improved ability to set guys up and run offense. Usually plays like a SG trapped in a PG’s body. Average defense. He can be a 2nd or 3rd PG in the NBA. At least to me he can. I’ve always liked him.

Armon Johnson can play on or off the ball. Physically gifted player, and even though he’s not nearly the talent, he has identical physical traits to Stephon Marbury. Good athlete. Left handed and can finish around the rim. Mediocre shot. Plays very good D. He’s not going to play much next year, but he does have potential down the line.

Dante Cunningham and Jeff Pendergraph are the same players. Get rebounds and are stronger than they look to me. Not exactly talented, but they both fight and will shots around the rim. Decent mid-range games.

Houston:

Chase Budinger had a good game, and shows the talent we know he has. Good shooter and finisher around the rim with his strength and athleticism. Lacks the ball-handling to consistently drive to the rim, but he has gotten better. Still a mediocre defender. Fits with Houston, plays like Brent Barry.

Jermaine Taylor has instant offense ability and could be a 6th or 7th man. Can shoot, is aggressive, and will drive the lane and use his strong frame to shield the ball. Still is a shaky ball-handler. Takes some bad shots sometimes and is a little selfish. Not a good defender. Had an off night.

Patrick Patterson- Didn’t play well offensively. Did what he did in the 2nd half of Kentucky’s season and drifted. Fell in love with his face-up skills and didn’t go play the post. Did rebound alright and is a pretty good shot-blocker. He played bad today, but he still has Carl Landry potential.

Jordan Hill could be a good player. He needs to get stronger and wider, but he has a very good frame to do so. Needs to get smarter on the court. Rebounds very well and will play physical. Decent mid-range shot. Not a very good back to basket player yet, and lacks post awareness. Explosive finisher at the rim. Probably will be good enough to start by the middle of the season next year.

Ish Smith is also fast as hell. Can push the ball and get where he wants on the court. Decent playmaker. Good athlete too. Too small to be more than a pest on D though