PORTLAND — Portland Trail Blazers forward Meyers Leonard missed their Dec. 30 win over the Toronto Raptors with a shoulder injury.
He returned to the active list for the Blazers Saturday night against the Atlanta Hawks.
Leonard reiterated prior to Saturday’s game that the injury wasn’t serious, but it was just a matter of wrong place at the wrong time while trying to go up for a dunk in practice.
Blazers adjusting to Korver
Atlanta’s Kyle Korver is the league’s leader in 3-point percentage so far this season.
Last season, the Blazers ended his NBA-record streak of 127 consecutive games with a 3-pointer.
His shooting threat opens up many options for the Hawks. But Blazers head coach Terry Stotts does not want the Blazers to lose track of Atlanta’s other scorers.
“He moves as well without the ball as anybody in the league and obviously he’s shooting the best percentage as anybody in the league,” Stotts said. “And you certainly game plan for it. But you don’t want to get caught up in the fact that they have 3 other guys who are averaging more points than him.”
Memorable return to Portland for Schröder
The memories washed over Atlanta’s Dennis Schröder when he arrived at the Moda Center. Two years ago, his life changed during the 2012 Nike Hoop Summit in Portland.
It was there, during that week, when those not pouring over German professional basketball and got to know the player who would become a first round pick a few months later.
“I was like, that look familiar,” he said. “I was happy to be here two years ago. That changed my whole life. I think it’s great.”
Schröder has also been a key figure in the Hawks ascent to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. He started in key road wins at Cleveland, at Houston and at Dallas. The game has started to slow down for the second-year guard.
“My first year was a little rough,” he said. “But my second year I pick everything up quicker. I get used to the speed to and how the NBA game works.”
Schröder’s numbers are up across the board from his rookie year from everything to field goal percentage to assists and steals.
He’s raw at 21 years old, but is already making a impact in his second season.
But his biggest improvement so far this season has been inside three feet where he is shooting 61 percent according to Basketball-Reference.
