NBA Insider Predicts Blazers Guard Could Lose Roster Spot

The Portland Trail Blazers have spent the last couple of seasons playing a ton of young players as they figure out what kind of team they want to be.

Multiple guys have gotten more playing time than they would have if they were on a winning team, but that has been part of the plan. Portland needs to see what they have in some of these guys.

One of the young guys who got some playing time was guard Rayan Rupert. Rupert's playing time went down this past season, and it might be further cut next season.

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One NBA insider believes that Rupert's playing time with the Trail Blazers is on life support heading into Summer League. John Hollinger of The Athletic believes that Rupert's playing time could hinge on how well he performs this summer.

While Rupert played in 52 games in his second season, his time on the court was almost halved from his rookie year. He played just 8.8 minutes per game, down from 16.2 minutes in his rookie year.

Rupert has to show some growth in Summer League on both ends of the court. He has to figure out what kind of player he is going to be, because he wasn't a great offensive or defensive player this year.

He's not a player who shoots particularly well, creates well, or rebounds well. That doesn't leave a lot of opportunities for him to contribute on the floor.

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The Blazers added Jrue Holiday to the fold, so they are clearly looking to try to win more games next season. Rupert might have run out of time to develop on this young team.

Of course, a strong Summer League performance could help Rupert jump back into the rotation. He has to set himself apart from Toumani Camara, Scoot Henderson, and Matisse Thybulle.

Thybulle is the guy he is fighting against for a rotation spot. Thybulle is a great defensive player, but he has had injury problems that have kept him off the court. Rupert needs to show he can be available.

This past season with the Blazers, Rupert averaged three points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game.

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For more news and notes on the Portland Trail Blazers, visit Portland Trail Blazers on SI.