Trail Blazers' Dalano Banton: Goes for 20 points Monday
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Banton ended with 20 points (8-9 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT), one rebound, one assist and two steals across 12 minutes during Monday's 118-100 win over New Orleans.
Banton delivered explosive offense off the bench for the Trail Blazers, needing just 12 minutes to reach the 20-point plateau while missing just one shot from the field. Banton has been highly efficient for the Blazers since he's scored in double digits in his last three games despite not playing more than 12 minutes in any of them. However, that streak of efficiency is bound to stop at some point. Ultimately, and regardless of how much of a scoring machine he can be, Banton shouldn't have a lot of upside if he's still playing under 15 minutes per contest.
The Trail Blazers exercised Banton's $2.2 million team option for the 2024-25 season Saturday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Banton will return to Portland for his first full season with the Trail Blazers after he was acquired from the Celtics in Feb. 8. While Portland shut down several key contributors with injuries late last season, the 24-year-old stepped into a focal role for Portland, averaging 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 0.9 steals over 30 contests with the club. Though he played well enough to stick around in Portland in 2024-25 and may even have earned himself a rotation spot, Banton is still expected to see a steep role reduction if the Trail Blazers have the likes of Jerami Grant (hamstring), Shaedon Sharpe (abdomen) and Anfernee Simons (knee) available to begin the upcoming season.
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Trail Blazers' Dalano Banton: Drops 17 points in finale
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Banton racked up 17 points (6-26 FG, 0-15 3Pt, 5-6 FT), three rebounds, seven assists and three steals in 39 minutes before getting ejected from Sunday's 121-82 loss to the Kings.
Banton came back to earth in the final game of the season, but there's no denying his prolific stat lines in the closing weeks. Portland has a $2.2M team option for next season, and Banton's standout play may compel the organization to pick it up.
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Trail Blazers' Dalano Banton: Tossed in finale
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Banton was ejected from Sunday's game against the Kings after receiving a Flagrant 2 foul with 3:30 left in the fourth quarter, Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 Sacramento reports.
An abysmal shooting performance proceeded Banton's ejection, as he cemented himself in Trail Blazer history by becoming the first player to attempt 15 three-pointers without a make. Despite the disappointing end to the campaign, Banton made his mark and may have solidified an opportunity next season with his stellar play over the final two months of 2023-24. Since March 1 (23 appearances), Banton has averaged 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks in 31.9 minutes per game.
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Trail Blazers' Dalano Banton: Starting Sunday
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Banton will start at point guard in Sunday's season finale in Sacramento.
With Scoot Henderson (hip) sidelined, Banton will be inserted in the starting lineup. He has averaged 18.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists across 33.1 minutes in eight games as a starter.
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Trail Blazers' Dalano Banton: Posts 28 points in return to action
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Banton ended with 28 points (9-26 FG, 2-10 3Pt, 8-9 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal in 38 minutes during Friday's 116-107 loss to Houston.
Banton is flashiing potential that evaded him during stints with Boston and Toronto, and his resurgent play could allow Portland some flexibility as they make offseason decisions on its roster. The Trail Blazers made a solid investment in Scoot Henderson, but with Banton emerging as a scoring threat, the team may be able to make some deals in the offseason to clear room for him. They could also trade him to a team that needs a proven backcourt option.
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Trail Blazers' Dalano Banton: Cleared to play Friday
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Banton (ankle) is available for Friday's game against Houston.
Banton will return from a one-game absence after sitting out Thursday against the Warriors. He had a featured role prior to the injury, and he's likely to be very involved in the offense Friday.
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Trail Blazers' Dalano Banton: Iffy for Friday
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Banton (ankle) is questionable for Friday's game against the Rockets.
Banton was sidelined for Thursday's loss to the Warriors and may miss the second half of Portland's back-to-back. He's been one of the lone bright spots for the Trail Blazers to end the 2023-24 season, as he's averaged 18.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 31.6 minutes over 22 appearances since the beginning of March.
Trail Blazers' Dalano Banton: Out against Warriors
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Banton (ankle) won't play against the Warriors on Thursday.
Banton's absence is a tough blow for Portland, as he's been a huge part of their rotation in recent games while several key players have been sidelined with injuries. The guard should be considered questionable for Friday against the Rockets while he recovers from a left ankle sprain.
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Trail Blazers' Dalano Banton: Top scorer off bench in defeat
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Banton ended with 28 points (11-23 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 3-3 FT), three rebounds, nine assists and one steal in 37 minutes during Sunday's 124-107 loss to the Celtics.
Banton led all players in Sunday's contest in scoring while connecting on a team-high-tying trio of threes and leading the Trail Blazers in assists in a near double-double performance. Banton tied a season-high assist mark, tying his total from March 27 against Atlanta. He has now recorded 28 or more points in five games this season, all of which have occurred over the last month of the year.
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Trail Blazers' Dalano Banton: Leads bench in all-around outing
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Banton ended with 21 points (8-20 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 3-5 FT), eight rebounds and eight assists over 34 minutes in Friday's 108-102 win over Washington.
Banton did it all for Portland off the bench, leading all bench players in scoring and rebounds while leading the Trail Blazers in assists in extended time with the second unit. Banton posted his second game of the season with eight or more assists and tallied his seventh game with at least five rebounds and five assists. He has now surpassed the 20-point mark in seven contests, including in four of his last six appearances.
Trail Blazers' Dalano Banton: Shines off bench once again
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Banton registered 26 points (8-17 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 6-8 FT), five rebounds, five assists, two blocks and three steals across 35 minutes during Monday's 104-103 loss to Orlando.
Banton has been on fire in recent weeks and is thriving in a bench role, as he's been the leading scorer of the second unit by a sizable margin. He's even led the entire Portland squad in points in a fair share of games over the last few weeks, as he's ending the campaign on a strong note and making a strong name for himself, as his current deal includes a $2.2 million team option for 2024-25. Banton is averaging 18.8 points per game across his last 11 outings.
Banton registered 31 points (13-23 FG, 5-11 3Pt), five rebounds, nine assists and two steals across 37 minutes during Wednesday's 120-106 loss to the Hawks.
Banton posted his best scoring mark of the campaign, and he also extended his impressive stretch of games with double-digit points to nine despite coming off the bench in the last six. Banton is averaging 18.8 points per game in that nine-game stretch, and he'll aim to keep that run alive when facing the Heat on Friday.
Trail Blazers' Dalano Banton: Shines off bench in loss
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Banton accumulated 28 points (11-21 FG, 2-9 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 11 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal over 39 minutes during Monday's 110-92 loss to Houston.
Banton has been one of the top performers in recent weeks for a struggling Blazers team, and while a bench role might limit his upside, he seems to be thriving as a scoring option for Portland. He has scored in double digits in all but one of his 15 appearances this month (seven starts), averaging 17.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in that span.
