Last season, solid veteran point guard Steve Blake saw his numbers dip — he averaged 4.3 points a game, shot just 37.3 percent overall and a career-low 35.2 percent. In the playoffs, those numbers fell off the table — 18.2 percent from the field and 12.5 percent from three.
At age 35, Blake earned himself another year of a nice paycheck, opting in with the Portland Trail Blazers for $2.2 million, the team announced. This was expected; Blake was not going to do better — he might struggle to find any guaranteed money — out on the open market.
Blake is still second on the Trail Blazers depth chart at the point, behind Damian Lillard. The team may look to change that this summer.
Blake helped lead Maryland to the national championship in 2002 and since then has worked hard to carve out a solid 12-year NBA career. He’s averaged 6.7 points and four assists a game, shooting 38.5 percent from three for his career. He also is well liked in locker rooms and active in the community wherever he has played.
However, as is to be expected, his numbers have dipped in recent years.
He can provide some veteran leadership in the locker room for the Blazers, while it is likely his on-the-court role will diminish from the nearly 19 minutes a game he saw last season. It’s also possible the Blazers use him in a trade package.