Former St. John’s guard Shamorie Ponds worked out for the Portland Trail Blazers ahead of the NBA Draft. Here’s why he’d be a great fit for them.
Coming off a monstrous sophomore year where he averaged 21.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists, St. John’s guard Shamorie Ponds put his name in the hat for the NBA draft. He didn’t like what he was hearing however, and opted to return to school for his junior season.
His results were more of the same, as the six-foot-one guard averaged 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists last season, helping lead SJU to a 21-13 record and a play-in game for the NCAA tournament, which they dropped to Arizona State.
Ponds’ numbers may not look dramatically different, but he did become a more efficient offensive player, shooting 45.3% from the field and 35.3% from downtown, both up from his sophomore season.
Ponds is projected as either a late second-round pick or potentially an undrafted free agent. He’s almost certainly going to be vying for a roster spot during the summer league, and his ability to score off of isolation, shoot from the outside, take care of the basketball, and read the passing lanes should help him carve out a role as a score-first backup point guard in today’s NBA.
The Portland Trail Blazers are the most recent team to bring Ponds in for a workout, and although they have two elite scoring guards in Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, they seem like a great fit for him as a potential backup.
Why Portland works for Shamorie Ponds
One of Portland’s biggest issues last season and into the playoffs was bench scoring. When either Lillard or McCollum were off the court, the other was forced to pick up the majority of the scoring, which created issues when they were double-teamed or just having an off-night.
Rodney Hood served them well in a backup role, but he will be an expensive free agent this year, and they may not be able to bring him back. Same with shooter Seth Curry.
Ponds could provide Portland with some much-needed scoring off the bench, and would obviously give them more financial flexibility than retaining Hood or Curry would.
Of course, Ponds has his downfalls, namely his lack of size and inexperience.
However, Portland frequently operates their second unit with combo guard Evan Turner running the point, which would free up Ponds to play off the ball, where he will likely be more comfortable in the NBA.
A second unit featuring Zach Collins, Evan Turner, Anfernee Simons and Ponds should give Portland some much-needed depth and plenty of scoring off the bench.
Plus, the extra salary will allow them to shore up their biggest need of the offseason, a starter on the wing to compliment McCollum, Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic.
Ponds has the tools necessary to succeed as a bench scorer in today’s NBA, although his lack of size may make his path to an NBA roster spot a tricky one. In Portland, Ponds would find a second-unit capable of allowing him to focus on moving without the basketball and adapting a score-first mentality, which plays into his strengths as a basketball player.