aidan

Imagine a world where Portland has two Toumani Camaras. That might be the world we are living in now. Toumani's story you know. Drafted 52nd overall by Phoenix in 2023. Never played a single game for the Suns. He was the throw-in, the afterthought in a piece of the Dame trade, and he turned himself into a starter, an All-Defensive Team selection, the first Blazer to make an All-Defensive team since Theo Ratliff in 2004, and an 82 million dollar extension. Now meet the sequel. Sidy Cissoko. Drafted 44th overall by San Antonio in that same 2023 draft. Portland had him in for a workout and passed on him at 43, one pick before the Spurs took him. He bounced from San Antonio to Sacramento to Washington, got waived, and Portland signed him off the scrap heap on a two-way contract. Last night Micah Nori started him. In place of Scoot Henderson. Sidy answered with a season-high 17 points in 33 minutes in a 20-point win over Oklahoma City. Scoot, the No. 3 pick in that same draft, came off the bench for 11. And here is the interesting twist: those two were teammates on G League Ignite. Sidy watched Scoot get drafted third overall, and three years later he took his starting spot. If I had told you on draft night in 2023 that the 2023 draft would turn this franchise around, you would have assumed Scoot popped. That is not what happened. What happened is two second-round picks Portland did not even select are in the starting five, guarding everybody, while the No. 3 pick watches from the bench. This is not me burying Scoot. He is 22, shows flashes of brilliance that gives us hope, and seems like a good dude. But spots are earned, and right now the two throw-ins are earning his. So does Scoot get the spot back when Ja returns, or did Sidy just take it until then? #RipCity #NBA #IReadTheScript