After forcing a contract conversion through sheer defensive grit, the physical wing now battles a crowded depth chart to prove his situational versatility belongs in Portland’s rotation.
Sidy Cissoko played himself out of a two-way contract last season ... seriously.
The Portland Trail Blazers used the 22-year-old so frequently that he reached the 50-game active-roster limit for players on two-way deals. Portland could either convert his contract or lose his availability for the remainder of the regular season.
They chose the former.
Six months later ... finding Cissoko somewhere to play might actually be the difficult part.
Cissoko appeared in 75 games last season, starting 26 while averaging 5.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists. His 39.8 percent shooting from the field and 29.8 percent mark from three weren't particularly impressive, but offense wasn't the primary reason Portland kept finding opportunities for the 6-foot-6, 220-pound wing.
Cissoko provided physicality and defensive versatility while establishing himself as one of Portland's most reliable depth pieces during an injury-filled season. He also drew 30 offensive fouls before receiving his standard contract, which ranked tied for fourth in the NBA at the time.
The roster surrounding him now certainly looks considerably different than it did.
Ja Morant joined a backcourt already featuring Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson. Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara remain established options on the wing, while Portland also signed 6-foot-8 defender Jeremy Sochan to a non-guaranteed deal.
Finding consistent minutes in that group isn't particularly easy.
Finding some still makes sense.
And that's probably where Cissoko's role begins.
Portland doesn't need him to create offense. The Blazers can instead deploy Cissoko when they need another physical perimeter defender capable of playing without possessions being designed for him.
The problem is that Camara already provides a more established version of that skill set, while Holiday remains an accomplished defender and Sochan could introduce another option if he makes the roster.
That's why Cissoko feels more like a situational defensive wing than a guaranteed member of Micah Nori's nightly rotation entering the season.
His shooting could change that calculation.
Cissoko made only 29.8 percent of his 198 attempts from three last season. A meaningful improvement would make it considerably easier to pair his defense with Portland's more established offensive pieces.
That's ultimately the difference between Cissoko's situation last season and the one awaiting him now.
He already proved Portland wanted to keep putting him on an NBA floor.
Now, on a deeper roster, he'll have to make it difficult for the Blazers to take him off it.
