After playing just one game over the course of nine days, the Trail Blazers get back to a more typical NBA regular season schedule with five games in the next nine days, including nationally-televises contests versus the Heat and Spurs this week.
And now that they're back to playing or practicing every day, the team has recalled rookies Anfernee Simons and Gary Trent Jr. from their G-League assignments after more than a week away. Here's how both players fared down in the minor league...
After a 22-point debut performance, rookie guard Anfernee Simons went on to average 17.3 points on 43 precent shooting from the field and 48 percent shooting from three, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 22.7 minutes with the Agua Caliente Clippers.
The 6-3 rookie out of IMG Academy turned in his best performance in Agua Caliente's 114-113 overtime victory versus the Salt Lake City Stars at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, CA on January 24. Simons played 30 minutes off the bench in the overtime win, going 10-of-17 from the field and 3-of-6 from three for a game-high 25 points to go with five rebounds and two assists.
Agua Caliente went 2-2 with Simons in the lineup.
Gary Trent Jr., a 6-6 guard in his first season out of Duke, stayed in the G-League a bit longer than Simons, playing six games with the Texas Legends before being called back to Portland on February 2. Trent Jr. made the most of his time in Texas, putting up 200 points over the course of six games, which is the second-most points scored by a player in his first six G-League appearances.
After scoring 24 points off the bench in his G-League debut, a 119-118 victory versus the Iowa Wolves, Trent Jr. moved into the starting lineup and went on to average 33.3 points on 51 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent shooting from three, 5.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 steals. Maybe his most impressive stat is that he AVERAGED 10 three-point shots per game.
Trent Jr. capped off his stint with the Legends in style, hitting a game-winning three-pointer with 1.7 seconds to play to lift Texas to a 136-133 victory versus the Sioux Falls Skyforce at the Comercia Center in Frisco, TX on February 1. Trent Jr. finished his final game with 39 points on 14-of-25 shooting from the field and 6-of-11 shooting from three, seven rebounds, three assists and a block in 34 minutes.
Trent Jr. scored no fewer than 33 points in all five of his starts. The Legends went 4-2 with Trent Jr. on the roster.