An important Summer in Las Vegas is just the start of an important season for Portland Trail Blazers swing man Allen Crabbe.
This is Crabbe’s third summer league and for the first time since college, he’s the featured player in the offenses.
Crabbe started 11 games in 2014-15 in place of Nicolas Batum and even earned a start in the playoffs.
But with heavily relied-on veterans out the door, there is a major shot for Crabbe to earn a spot in the rotation.
Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum are gone. The Blazers acquired veteran Gerald Henderson and signed young, but experienced forward Al-Farouq Aminu. And the Blazers are extremely high on CJ McCollum after a breakout playoff performance.
All three players at first glance appear to be ahead of Crabbe in the pecking order.
While Crabbe will be the team’s main scoring option in Summer League, he knows his role on the “varsity” will be different.
“I’ve just been focusing on making sure that I’m knocking down my open shots,” Crabbe said. “In this offense, you’ve got to shoot the three.”
Crabbe’s nickname is Cool Breeze, but it hasn’t always been easy for him to stay cool.
The inconsistency of his role was frustrating at times, but he handled that inconsistency as professionally as he could with the same calm demeanor.
He wants to show the team that he can compliment Damian Lillard and company, but he looks forward to having the chance to be an offensive weapon himself.
While Crabbe patiently waited to play or not, he spent a lot of time next to Matthews, who was his locker room neighbor and sometimes bullying older-brother figure.
And now Crabbe is trying to incorporate something that Matthews was very good at, into his arsenal.
Even his coach was a little excited.
“Did you tell them about the post-up?” head coach Terry Stotts said during their practice last week in Tualatin.
“I have good size at the wing position,” Crabbe said. “You know with more added strength and stuff I think I’ll be able to go down there and be confident. That’s been something I’ve been working with (assistant coach Nate Tibbetts) on in case I get a smaller defender on me. “
The Blazers used two future second round picks to acquire Crabbe two years ago. Coupled with the two plus seasons invested in his development, the Blazers need Crabbe to deliver.
And this could be one of the biggest, if not the biggest opportunity for Crabbe to show what he can do.
Entering a big season next year, Crabbe is in the midst of the biggest summer off is basketball life.
After a rough 6-for-15 game in his first summer league outing, Crabbe led the Blazers with 24 points in a win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
Portland’s reported trade for Maurice Harkless will make the task of getting minutes that much harder for Crabbe.
But it’s not just a Blazers opportunity at stake for Crabbe in Vegas, but his NBA-career.
“It’s going to be 28, 29 teams there watching so you don’t want to make the little mistakes because a lot of people will still be there watching,” he said.
