Through the first two months of the season, Leonard appeared in just 13 games, and what few minutes he received in those 13 games usually game in mop up or garbage time. Though he had showed signs of improvement, he was behind both Chris Kaman and Joel Freeland in the big man rotation, meaning minutes would be scarce unless one of the guys in front of him ended up in foul trouble or injured.
Which is exactly what happened. After Freeland suffered a shoulder strain in the Jan. 3 game against the Hawks, Leonard replaced his best friend on the team in the rotation. Leonard would go on to appear in 34 of the next 35 games, averaging just under 20 minutes a game in January and 15.0 a game in February. He earned those minutes, in part, thanks to shooting 60 percent from the field and 46 percent from three in January and 51 percent from the field and 46 percent from three in February. His playing time dipped back to 10.9 minutes per game in March, as did his shooting percentages.
“Once the opportunity was there for me, I feel like, for the most part, I took advantage,” said Leonard. “There were times when maybe I was a little too hesitant, but as time went on and I got more minutes, felt much more comfortable, much more aggressive and kind of understanding understanding of how I could help this team.”
But the best was still yet to come for Leonard. He started to received extended minutes in April with the team opting to rest more veteran players after all but mathematically securing the Northwest Division title and responded by averaging 9.4 points on 52 percent shooting, 7.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists in the final nine games of the regular season. That extra run seemed to give Leonard a confidence boost going into the series versus the Grizzlies.
Though Portland had little to be happy about during the course of being eliminated in five games, Leonard’s play was undoubtably a bright spot. He would finish the series averaging 7.8 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting ridiculous percentages from the field (67 percent) and from three (77 percent). His 13-point, 13-rebound performance in Game 4, Portland’s lone win in the series, might have been his finest game as a Trail Blazer.
After being one of the few players to finish the 2014-15 season shooting 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three and 90 percent from the free throw line, more will be expected of Meyers Leonard next season, which, frankly, is what he and the team would prefer.