The NBA has more depth than ever before, and beloved broadcaster Mike Tirico has cited the Portland Trail Blazers as an example.
The Portland Trail Blazers have been one of the under-discussed stories in 2025, with the team still having an outside chance to land a Play-In spot.
Even in a deep Western Conference, Portland are 28-35, just four wins behind the sinking Dallas Mavericks, who have lost three in a row.
Mike Tirico has commentated on two of Portland’s recent games, and he feels the quality they have on their roster is reflective of the NBA’s talent.
A player Mike Tirico feels is particularly intriguing is the team’s 2024 first round draft pick Donovan Clingan.
Clingan, 21, plays at center, a position that has been evolving over the past decade, led by reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.
Tirico recognizes Clingan is still at the early stages of his development, but notes that what he is trying to do with his shooting is a symbol of the changing league.
He told NBC Boston: “If you have a big who can’t shoot threes it’s hard to find a place. A guy from Portland whose fascinating is Donovan Clingan, is there a place for that guy?
“He’s developing an outside shot. It’s not there, to be reliable, but now you’ve got 7’2 guys taking threes. That has totally changed even from 2015 and 16 to now.”
Clingan has only been averaging 17.1 minutes per game this season, at 5.8 ppg and 6.7 rebounds. He is 29 per cent shooting from three.
Another player on the Portland Trail Blazers roster caught Mike Tirico’s eye, due to his situation on the roster and talent ability.
Tirico was referring to Duop Reath, who is averaging just 6.4 minutes per game, and has spent time in the G League this season with the Rip City Remix.
The broadcaster believes that the South Sudan born player, who is Australian, would have had a more prominent role in the NBA two decades ago, based purely on his talent. Now the depth is so big that a player of his quality finds it trickier to stand out.
He explained: “The depth of their talent… Duop Reath comes off the bench and he’s hitting threes and defending, wait a minute this guy’s buried on the Portland bench?
20 years ago he would have been this raw diamond talent who we are working into the rotation.
“Basketball is being played around the world and the players are coming here, there’s more good basketball being played in the US with individual skill.”
Reath was undrafted in 2018 and began with the Dallas Mavericks but did not make their roster. He has spent time since playing in Serbia, Australia, China and Lebanon, before landing a spot with the Portland Trail Blazers this season.
The 28-year-old has played in 31 games this season, impressing Tirico by going 3-4 from three point range on his way to scoring 13 in their 119-102 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
