Subscribe Feed (RSS)Nate McMillan said Monday he won’t change his starting lineup Tuesday night when the Trail Blazers travel to Golden State. That means Greg Oden, off two impressive performances in a reserve role, will continue to come off the bench a while longer.
“He’s starting to get a little rhythm, starting to look comfortable playing,” McMillan said of Oden.
Oden said, “That’s perfectly fine for me.”
At some point, Oden will have to be on the floor as a starter, though. He’s too good not to be and he needs to accumulate more minutes playing with the rest of the starting lineup as the season moves on.
Tags: Dwight Jaynes, Greg Oden, Nate McMillan, Portland Trail Blazers
He’s doing ok coming off the bench right now, but really looking forward to what he brings with more minutes and playing time next to Roy and Aldridge. Thanks for the update Dwight
Oden is doing just fine. I’m sure he likes to come into the game and make an impact. It works well because Oden has time to get a sense of the rhythm of the game and can put his (big) fingerprint on it. Greg showed that he is fresh when he comes into the game and is surprising that he’s in good shape even into long shifts on the floor. I think Lamarcus will benefit from Oden being on the floor with him as he won’t be as hesitant to rock back and take the 15-18ft jumper, knowing that GO is down underneath fighting for any offensive boards. When both LA and GO begin to really play confidently together, we will start to see glimpses of that bright future people were expecting going into the season.
Even if Oden doesn’t start, he will gradually get starter minutes. Plus, he got plenty of run with key starters in the Minny game.
When Martell comes back that’s when everything becomes even more exciting. Batum has been filling this role as best as he can. Coach has been a little wishy-washy on whether to go with Travis or Nic starting at the 3, especially when you consider how young Nic is. Let’s not forget, Martell’s injury is where all the confusion started.
Martell will give them more power and experience.
Oden will be starting soon. I can say from experience that you tend to get into basketball shape quickly. Playing in NBA games will bring Oden up to speed quickly, and it looks like he’s closer than some people think.
Now when he can combine this newfound stamina with regained explosiveness (it took Amare awhile, but he’s obviously doing alright) and improved offensive skils, Oden will be scary.
Shaqesque.
Knock on wood harder than the backsides of the defenders stepping in Oden’s way, but I think he’s gonna be great.