And as injuries started to catch up with Kaman production, his production declined. Though he played in 74 games, Kaman dealt with injuries ranging from minor to significant for most of the season. Nevertheless, he was still Portland’s most consistent performer off the bench and he admirably filled in as a starter when injuries to his teammates forced Terry Stotts’ hand, even if it wasn’t a role he was particularly comfortable occupying at this point in his career.
So between injuries and being asked to do more than was expected when he signed as a free agent, there was potential for Kaman, a self-admitted malcontent who left on not-so-great terms after one-year stints with the Pelicans, Mavericks and Lakers, to check out in the second half of the season. But the older and wiser Trail Blazers edition of Chris Kaman did the exact opposite. Rather than sulking, he seemed to redouble his season-long efforts working as a mentor for Portland’s young bigs, particularly Meyers Leonard, while adding a dose of levity to the locker room.
And while he was never as effective as he was earlier in the season, he shot better than 60 percent from the field in the last month and a half and played admirably in Game 1 of Portland’s series versus the Grizzlies before another injury limited him in the final four games of the playoffs. But seeing the way Leonard, his replacement in the lineup who he has spent the entire season drilling on the macro and micro elements of being an NBA big man, played in his stead, it’s easy to argue that his influence was just as helpful on the bench as it was on the court.
“At this point, I’m on the decline, on the downslope of my career as far as I’m not as young as Meyers is,” said Kaman. “The best I can, I can help Meyers improve again. I think Meyers has so much potential and you saw what he did toward the end of the season and the middle of the season. He really stepped it up, so I thought Meyers did a great job… Any help I can give him, any opportunities I can help him with, I’m excited about it.”