Wesley Matthews remains humble despite the hype

Matthews is more than living up to his salary, becoming everything the Blazers have searched for in a wing in the last decade. He has the competitiveness and savvy of Scottie Pippen, the defensive tenacity of Ruben Patterson and the long-range shooting touch of Derek Anderson, all wrapped up in a humble and hardworking package.

"And he's a good guy," teammate LaMarcus Aldridge said. "He fits the mold of what we have -- a bunch of good guys who want to win and who want to work hard."

As the season's halfway point nears, Matthews is a strong contender for the league's Most Improved Player Award. After averaging 9.4 points last season for Utah, Matthews this season is averaging 16.0 points and leads the team with 66 three-pointers, tops among NBA sophomores.

"I'm just appreciative every day," Matthews said. "This is a blessing. Everybody in this league is blessed to be living out our dreams and be playing the game we love. So I'm going to just keep working and stay humble at the same time."