Key Highlights:
- Of all Portland Path Blazers who performed at the least 40 video games for them final 12 months, it was Duop Reath who led the workforce in Estimated Plus-Minus (EPM).
- Duop Reath ranked fourth amongst all facilities who performed at the least 40 video games final 12 months in 3-point makes an attempt per 100 possessions.
- Duop Reath is making roughly seven million {dollars} much less yearly than his manufacturing worth would recommend.
Pop quiz (with out trying): Of all of the gamers who performed at the least 40 video games final 12 months for the Portland Path Blazers, who’s the one who led the workforce in Estimated Plus-Minus (EPM)?
When you guessed anybody there than Duop Reath, you had been lifeless incorrect. That’s proper, the right reply wasn’t the 100-million-dollar man Deandre Ayton. Not the prodigious rookie Scoot Henderson or the explosive combo guard Anfernee Simons. It was the workforce’s 27-year-old (now 28) undrafted rookie.
(Sidebar: The workforce’s chief in EPM is definitely Malcolm Brogdon, however he solely appeared in 39 video games final season.)
Hidden within the fog of a Blazers roster that’s chock filled with fascinating younger expertise and mismatch veterans is Reath – a participant who isn’t simply identifiable to even essentially the most avid of NBA followers. But, regardless of his invisibility, Reath possesses a novel skillset for his measurement and place. One which – given the Blazers’ roster development and organizational goals (extra on this later) – might make him one of the underrated gamers on the buying and selling block.
What Makes Reath So Fascinating
The first characteristic I ever wrote for Basketball Insiders was centered across the premise that taking pictures could make you harmful, each as a participant and a workforce. As a 6’11 middle who shot 35.9% from three, Reath does sufficient to qualify as a taking pictures huge.
However, in terms of spacing, accuracy is second to quantity, and Reath has the latter in spades. Of the 72 facilities who performed at the least 40 video games final 12 months, Reath completed fourth amongst all of them in 3-point makes an attempt per 100 – trailing behind solely Kevin Love, Lauri Markkanen, and Naz Reid (per NBA.com). Some notable names that he’s forward of on this class embrace Kristaps Porzingis, Brook Lopez, Jaren Jackson Jr., Karl-Anthony Cities, Myles Turner, and Chet Holmgren.
Reath doesn’t simply take quite a lot of threes. He additionally has a number of avenues for a way he can movement into them. He can launch them on pick-and-pops (first clip within the montage under), off no-dip jumpers from the corners (second clip), or whereas executing a ghost display screen motion (third).
Whenever you’re a very good shooter, groups will attempt to restrict the variety of threes you are taking by instructing their gamers to run you off the 3-point line on closeouts (a method generally known as the fly-by closeout). To counter this defensive tactic, shooters want to have the ability to drive these closeouts. Reath isn’t a sleek attacker who possesses a bevy of dribble strikes and counter spins. For essentially the most half, his drives are clunky and really uncreative. Nonetheless, you possibly can’t actually argue together with his outcomes. In accordance with the Considering Basketball Database, Reath was within the 73rd percentile in true taking pictures on drives final season.
Reath is likely one of the most underrated offensive huge males within the NBA. Final 12 months, his Offensive EPM (OFF EPM) positioned him within the 84th percentile leaguewide. Discovering a middle that possesses that form of mixture of taking pictures and driving is uncommon (we haven’t even talked about how proficient of a screener he’s), and it often comes with the tradeoff of damaging protection on the place the place protection is most vital.
Now, Reath isn’t some world-beater on that finish of the ground. He’s not a fluid mover and he’s vulnerable to biting on pump fakes (thirteenth percentile in foul fee amongst bigs, per Cleansing the Glass). However he’s nonetheless an enormous physique (6’11 with a 7’1 wingspan) who can present some rim safety (78th percentile block fee) and plus arms on the middle spot (54th percentile steal fee amongst bigs).
One-number metrics aren’t every thing, however it’s promising that Reath shares a Defensive EPM with Nikola Jokic (53rd percentile) – a participant many of us view as an common defensive middle these days. On the very least, it tells us that he’s a stable sufficient as a defender for groups to revenue off his outstanding offensive sport.
A Nice Contract
Not solely does Reath possess a low-supply, high-demand skillset, however he additionally provides it at a discount value. As of scripting this (August 2, 2024), Reath has two years left on his 3-year, 6.2-million greenback deal (per Spotrac). Subsequent season, Reath will make roughly 2.1 million {dollars}. Based mostly on a components I like to make use of for calculating a participant’s manufacturing worth, that’s about 7.4 million {dollars} lower than he’s truly price.
One other good comparability level right here is Jalen Smith – a participant who may be very comparable stylistically to Reath. This offseason, Smith agreed to a 3-year, 27-million greenback take care of the Chicago Bulls. Once more, roughly seven million {dollars} extra yearly than Reath is making (though it’s price noting that Smith is 4 years youthful).
Why He Might Be Obtainable For A Commerce
Okay, so Reath is an effective basketball participant with a skillset that’s laborious to return by and a contract that pays him means under his truthful market worth. Why would the Blazers wish to commerce a man like that?
Two causes. First, as we touched upon earlier, Reath is an older participant relative to his expertise within the league. Subsequent 12 months will technically be his sophomore marketing campaign, however he’ll be going by way of it as a 28-year-old. The Blazers, a workforce that’s clearly rebuilding in a loaded Western Convention, probably don’t see Reath as somebody who suits in their present timeline.
And second, even when he did match their timeline, the Blazers have an actual log jam on the middle spot. Between Reath, Ayton, Robert Williams III, and the newly-acquired seventh total choose Donovan Clingan, the Blazers have extra usable our bodies than they will moderately deal with.
Lately, there was some reporting that groups have some attention-grabbing buying Williams. However even when a commerce does come to fruition, the Blazers will most likely nonetheless want to maneuver Reath to be certain that that Ayton and Clingan can have sufficient time to shine. Plus, given how helpful Reath’s contract is, the Blazers might undoubtedly web some good property in a commerce for him.
With all this mentioned, Reath most likely isn’t a starting-caliber middle within the NBA. However he is likely one of the higher backups cash should buy, particularly for a workforce that’s searching for a change-of-pace participant at that spot (the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New Orleans Pelicans are some names that come to thoughts). And contemplating hardly anybody outdoors of Blazers’ followers and NBA sickos is aware of who he’s, I’d say that makes him a reasonably underrated participant.
