It doesn’t matter who the Portland Trail Blazers put on the court this season, they just aren’t winning. They’re stuck near the bottom of the Western Conference and despite having a talented roster headlined by high-level starters like Jerami Grant and Malcolm Brogdon and up-and-coming stars in Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe, they haven’t found a lineup that solves their woes. Nearly every player on the team has hung a negative plus/minus per 100 possessions. The one exception is an unlikely one: two-way contract man Duop Reath.
Chances are your first thought after reading that was, “WHO?” Unless you’re an NBA sicko, you probably couldn’t name undrafted rookies from bad teams, Reath included. That needs to change, though, because Duop Reath deserves to be recognized. Across 20 games and 305 minutes where he has been on the court, Portland has outscored opponents by 11.5 points per 100 possessions.
Welcome back to Two-Way Talents! This series highlights two-way contract players across the association that are balling out and staking a claim for a bigger role. The goal is to give unknown players the attention they deserve. This installment is about Duop Reath, the rookie who has been Portland’s most positive presence this season.
While Reath is new to the NBA, he is not new to professional basketball. After going undrafted in 2018, he signed a deal with a professional team in Serbia and proved to be a very productive player. In 2020, he won a bronze medal with the Australian National Team in the Olympics, and during his 2022-23 campaign in China he averaged 18 points and eight boards, and finished second in the CBA in blocks per game. It was perhaps that season that earned him his long-awaited NBA opportunity with the Blazers.
Now that he’s gotten that opportunity, he’s seized it. Reath has become a staple in Portland’s rotation, playing around 15 minutes a night and even starting four contests He’s carved out his niche by playing to his atypical strengths.
There are very few true centers in the NBA who even take enough threes to be considered a respectable shooter, let alone make enough. Reath, though, is part of that minority. He is most comfortable and effective playing on the perimeter. The 6’11” big man launches four triples per game, knocking down a decent 35% of them. He’s a pick-and-pop threat and gets a lot of looks out of that action. Because he can hit open shots, defenses are forced to honor him and guard him on the perimeter, opening up driving lanes for other Blazers. He’s also a determined screener who consistently creates advantages for teammates in that way.
As teams have recognized him as a shooter, Reath has also shown the ability to attack aggressive closeouts by putting the ball on the floor and getting to the cup. He has touch with both hands and uses his length to finish over people. His driving chops are even more unusual for a big than his shooting, and they’re part of what makes him such a fun and impactful offensive player.
Defensively, Reath offers some utility in multiple schemes. He doesn’t excel in one specific coverage, but he can hold up at the level or in drop when defending the pick and roll. He has the mobility to challenge players on the perimeter and the size to alter or reject shots at the rim.
Finding a comparison for Reath is tricky because his skillset is so uncommon. He most closely resembles Myles Turner or Brook Lopez, as all three bigs can shoot and drive. However, Reath is burlier than Turner and more athletic than Lopez, making him a true one-of-one player. His defense has a ways to go before he could reach the level Turner and Lopez are at, but the path for Reath to get there is achievable.
In the midst of an unexciting Trail Blazer season, Duop Reath’s out-of-the-blue emergence has been a bright spot worth talking about. If you haven’t already hopped on the Reath bandwagon, now’s the time, because the two-way baller is here to stay.
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