We have two options when it comes to Noah Vonleh’s disappointing career so far: either he’s a late bloomer like Jermaine O’Neal, or he’s a bust. Those are the two options. There is a third option (“he needs more minutes”) but that option doesn’t count because, as I clearly said before, there are two options and two options only when it comes to evaluating Vonleh’s time in the NBA.
Hubie Brown was, inexplicably, enamored with Vonleh while doing commentary for this game. He kept talking about how the Blazers need Vonleh to step up. Um, what they actually need is for their good players to step up. Vonleh has already stepped up as far as he is able. They’re not counting on him being anything other than a warm body that can sometimes grab a rebound and can sometimes turn LaMarcus Aldridge into a seven-foot-tall bitchboy. Twelve points is somewhat encouraging, but the fact that it’s encouraging for a ninth-overall pick is discouraging. If that makes sense.