PORTLAND — Portland Trail Blazers forward Dorell Wright has a made a career out of staying ready. And in his second season for the Blazers, Wright has continued to lean on staying patient.
Wright admitted that he wasn’t as ready for his role on the Blazers last season.
“I was a little more lost last year because I didn’t know exactly what to expect,” Wright said. “I came expecting and thinking it was going to be a different situation for me but as the season went on I really figured out what my role was.”
Wright found his role last season coming off the bench both at small forward and at power forward when Portland went small. But Wright quickly learned that as a role player for the Blazers, you’ll never know when your playing time will come.
“It’s up and down and things like that as well,” Wright said. “I was a little bit of four bit more of three. I don’t really play the three that much anymore. It’s pretty easy to figure out once the season goes on.”
Wright doesn’t wonder anymore when his playing time will come and has settled into the certain uncertainty of the rotation.
But of course, the injury to Wesley Matthews may change everything and head coach Terry Stotts may try a variety of different lineups in trying to make up for the 34 minutes a game Matthews played.
Wright played just 10 minutes in their first game without Matthews in Minnesota.
Briefly, at the bitter end of the game, Stotts went with a lineup of Damian Lillard, Arron Afflalo, Nic Batum, Wright and LaMarcus Aldridge.
If Portland is in search of offense, that lineup may be used again as the Blazers try to find a way to make up for the loss of their best 3-point shooter, defender and one of their leaders.
And at the end of games if the Blazers are searching for offense, Wright could very well be in the game in the late stages to be counted on to space the floor and hit shots.
“I’ve been able to be in the game in late situations,” Wright said. “Just gotta be ready.”
Wright is shooting 41 percent from 3-point range on the season in 35 appearances.
Along with the rest of Portland’s wings such as CJ McCollum, Alonzo Gee and Allen Crabbe, Wright will have to make shots when it is thrown to them in big situations.
Without the comfort of a set rotation, Stotts has had to open things up. And Wright will have to be an important and productive player for the Blazers moving forward, when called upon, if Portland wants to have any playoff success.
