In what was a relatively quiet offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers will need shooting guard Will Barton and C.J. McCollum to continue their development for the upcoming season.
This past year saw Will Barton emerge from exciting bench warmer to a more under-control role player. There were glimpses of Barton's talent as a rookie, but too often his desire to play one-on-one and spotty decision-making held him back. While he still plays a bit too "hero ball", Barton started playing more under-control, which led to him seeing more regular playing time towards the end of the regular season.
A lanky wing, Barton's long wingspan can make him a pest on the defensive end. While there was talk of Barton potentially playing some point guard in the second unit, his performance in the 2014 Summer League in that role was inconsistent. Barton will almost assuredly see most of his time spelling Wesley Matthews this season, with the potential to earn some additional playing time at the '3' if the team wants to play small.
C.J. McCollum's rookie season was marred by a broken foot (which cost him approximately half the season) and inconsistency. The good news for Blazers fans is that McCollum's inconsistent performance can at least partially be attributed to the aforementioned foot injury. The NBA game is usually difficult for rookies, but especially so for those who don't get to play in live game action for months.
After being drafted, McCollum naturally drew comparisons to another small-school guard that was drafted the year prior... Damian Lillard. While those comparisons were likely equal parts hubris and vague generalities, McCollum has a consistent shooting stroke, and his ability to change speed off the dribble allow him to attack the basket. While Lillard is a scoring point guard, McCollum is really a shooting guard trapped in a point guard's body.
Mo Williams' departure opened the door for Steve Blake to be signed (again) by the Trail Blazers. Blake, however, is best suited as a spot-up shooter, which leaves the door open for a scorer to see playing time in the backcourt next to him. Whether it be Barton or McCollum, one of those two will need to take the next step in their evolution as basketball players for Portland to become a true contender in the still-loaded Western Conference
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