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Although the Portland Trail Blazers added Enes Kanter seven games ago, the former New York Knicks center has yet to play a home game with his new team. But on Thursday, that’ll change when Kanter squares off against his former team in the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Blazers have played seven consecutive road games since Kanter’s arrival, but his home debut is finally set to get underway.
Ahead of the exciting moment for the Blazers big man, former teammate Russell Westbrook was among the first to meet him as he entered the arena. The two chatted briefly and walked into the building with Westbrook’s arm around Kanter in what created a cool scene, via Orlando Sanchez of KGW TV Portland.
Russell Westbrook and Enes Kanter share a moment ahead of his first game in Portland #RipCity @Enes_Kanter 🎥@longshots88
Kanter spent just under two and a half seasons with the Thunder from 2014-15 through 2016-17. Over that stretch, he averaged 14.2 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 56.2 percent from the field. Obviously, he made a few friends in that locker room as well.
Enes Kanter’s Numbers With Blazers
While it’s a small sample size, Kanter has looked good with his new team. Of the seven games Portland has played, the 26-year-old played in six. He’s averaging 18.8 minutes per game but posting solid averages of 11.3 points and 6.8 rebounds. Kanter has played in a backup role to Jusuf Nurkic, who’s having a great season thus far.
By far the most important part of Kanter’s addition is that it’s led to victories as the Blazers look to push their way up in the playoff picture. Since the addition of their new center, Portland has won five of seven games and sit in a three-way tie for the No. 3 seed in a crowded Western Conference.
The Thunder and Houston Rockets are the two teams tied with the Blazers in the standings so Thursday’s matchup could prove to be big in the postseason outlook. Portland is at home in this game, where they boast an impressive 24-8 record, so that’s a huge boost for Kanter and company.
Russell Westbrook & Paul George’s Stellar Seasons
The duo of Westbrook and forward Paul George has led to major success for the Thunder. Although Westbrook isn’t averaging close to the 31.6 points he did during the 2016-17 season, it’s because the team hasn’t needed him to. While the star point guard has averaged a triple-double this year with marks of 22.7 points, 11.2 rebounds and 10.7 assists, his teammate has played at an MVP-level as well.
George is having the best season of his career, averaging 28.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He was expected to be the second option alongside Westbrook, but they’ve been 1A and 1B in the Thunder offense all season. You could easily make the argument that each player is deserving of being in the MVP mix, and both have taken over games at various points.
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