NBA Team Preview: Portland Trail Blazers

Offseason:

Draft Picks: 47. SF. Jake Layman

Key Acquisitions: SF. Evan Turner, C. Festus Ezeli

Key Losses: SG. Gerald Henderson

 

Player Profiles

Projected Lineup

PG. Damian Lillard: 6’3, 195

• All-star scoring PG with elite handles and unlimited range.
• Ball dominant on ball scorer that can be a terror when he heats up from 3. Deadly PnR operator because he punishes defenses for going under screen with his 3 point shooting.
• Despite have good size at his position he doesn’t really use it on defense. Plays a lot smaller on both ends and honestly just doesn’t bring the required effort and mindset to the defensive end.

SG. CJ McCollum: 6’4, 200

• Scoring combo guard who broke out last season when he was finally able to stay healthy.
• On ball scorer that loves to utilize ball screens to make things happen. Capable of pulling up on a dime off the dribble and knocking down shots.
• Not an effective defensive player and looks lost a times. Undersized defending at SG and looks slow laterally when trying to defend PGs.

SF. Maurice Harkless: 6’9, 215

• Combo forward with very good athleticism and the versatility to play 3 positions.
• Improved but not yet good outside shooter. Makes his living as a slasher and is 1 of the best in the game at it. Utilizes weakside cutting for easy attempts at the rim. Dominant offensive rebounder for a wing.
• Versatile defensive player that plays with attitude. He can get physical when he needs to.

PF. Al-Farouq Aminu: 6’9, 215

• Active versatile combo forward that brings it on both ends.
• Off ball player offensively, especially when used as a small ball 4. Has developed into a reliable 3 point shooter spotting up  and knows how to move without the ball.
• Quality defensive player that can defend on the wing or as PF. For a guy his size that also plays on the wing had an ok block rate.

C. Mason Plumlee: 6’11, 235

• High energy 2-way center with a lot of athleticism.
• Highly effective on offense as a dive man in the PnR game.
• Plus defender that utilizes his athleticism effectively on defense to rotate, block shots, and hold his own away from the paint.

 

Bench

SF. Evan Turner: 6’7, 220

• All-around point-forward with the ability to play all 3 perimeter positions and maybe even small ball 4.
• Has excellent vision for a wing and a decent handle. Very comfortable taking the ball and running the offense. He’s not a good 3 point shooter but he does shoot the mid-range shot well, especially in the 10-15 foot range.
• Not a very athletic guy at all and he doesn’t have much quickness yet that hasn’t stopped him from being a good defensive player. He plays smart and moves laterally better than you’d think just by looking at his body type.

SG. Allan Crabbe: 6’6, 210

• Marksmen of a wing that shoots the ball at a high clip from everywhere.
• Shooting specialist that is so much more than a stand and shoot guy. He can shoot it on the move or play on move and cut to the basket effectively. Elite mid-range shooter and finishes very well at the rim.
• Improving defensive player that still needs to get better off the ball and dealing with screens but has shown the ability to defend on the ball.

PF. Ed Davis: 6’10, 240

• Big physical brute of a big man that dominates the glass on both ends.
• Offensively he doesn’t contribute much outside of 10 feet nor does he play with the ball but he’s very effective at what he does as a dive or dump off guy and at nearly 5 offensive rebound per 36 creates shots for himself that way.
• Very good defensive big who blocks shots and protects the paint. Moves well for his size and can cover ground quickly. He’s got very active hands as well allowing him to get a lot of steals.

C. Myers Leonard: 7’1, 245

• Huge big man that can really shoot it but plays more like he’s 6’8 than 7’1.
• He’s an incredible shooter for a 7’1 big man. Shoots at elite levels from everywhere on the floor except at the rim ironically. Horrible around the rim for his size.
• Not a horrible defensive player, but not a good one either. Leaves a lot to be desired on that end given his size. 0.5 blocks per 36 is an embarrassment.

C. Festus Ezeli: 6’11, 265

• Huge physical center that brings it on the glass and does the dirty work.
• Offensively he serves as a screen setter and finisher around the rim. He also is a very good offensive rebounder and will create 2nd opportunites.
• Good defensive center that protects the rim, defends on the block and has some mobility for a near 7 foot 260+ pounder.

PG. Shabazz Napier: 6’1, 175

• Thin undersized scoring PG that has struggled to adjust to the NBA.
• Offensive game inside the arc is incredibly lacking. Made an abysmal 35% of his 2 point attempts a year ago. Over half of his shot attempts come from 3 and his 32% conversion rate doesn’t justify the number of attempts.
• Lack of size, length, and athletic ability all hinder him defensively as he’s been a negative defender in both his 1st 2 seasons.

PF. Noah Vonleh: 6’9, 240

• Young athletic forward with elite measureables. He has a 7’4 wingspan and 9’0 standing reach.
• Has a lot of potential but is still raw at the moment. Could serve as a stretch 4 but his 3 point shot is inconsistent. Career 27% shooter from 3 but looked good shooting it in summer league. Figures to be at his most effective in transition and diving to the basket in PnR situations.
• Decent defensive player with the tools to become great. Despite his awesome length and athleticism hasn’t shown he can be an impact shot blocker but he should thrive in other areas. Simply needs more on court experience to clean up the mental aspects of the game.

Breakdown

The Blazers figure to start the year with the same starting 5 they ultimately settled on down the stretch of last season that they seemed to have so much success with. The key to this team’s success is the starting backcourt where the team’s two leading scorers reside. Starting PG Damian Lillard is now the leader of this young up and coming team and they will need him to continue to grow as a player and round out his game to be more than just an outside scorer. McCollum returns as the off guard after a breakout season where he solidified himself as one of the best young scorers in the game. The frontcourt is filled with versatility with Maurice Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu pretty much being interchangeable at either forward spot. Technically Harkless is the SF and Aminu is the PF but both players are listed as the exact same height and weight and both are capable of playing the 3 or 4. Aminu’s 3 point shooting really improved last season and was a big part of why the Blazers exceeded everyone’s expectations. This year they’re hoping for the same out of Harkless who shot the ball better in the playoffs and reportedly has been shooting it well in training camp. Mason Plumlee returns as the center and will continue to play his role utilizing his tremendous athleticism to impact the game at both ends.

 

The Blazers bench is loaded thanks to a busy off-season where we saw Portland shell out to contracts over $70 million to Crabbe and Turner as well as $18 mill to Ezeli. I expect Crabbe and Turner to be key off the bench for the Blazers. Turner’s ability to handle and pass the ball is going to be big for the Blazers as they don’t have a reliable backup PG option and will need him to help facilitate with the 2nd unit. Crabbe’s elite shooting should provide instant offense off the bench again as he looks to prove he’s worth the big contract he got. Myles Leonard and Ed Davis figure to be the top bigs off the bench and both have very contrasting styles which should actually work well when they’re on the floor together. I honestly don’t see how Ezeli is going to fit into this picture. He’s a better player overall than Leonard but he isn’t better than Davis and he and Davis’s games are very similar and probably won’t mesh as well if they are on the court together as opposed to 1 of them playing with Leonard. And then there’s Vonleh, whose poor play pretty much played him out of the starting lineup and ultimately out of the rotation. But if he’s shooting 3s the way he did in Summer league it’ll be hard to keep him off the floor with his athletic ability.

 

Expectations

The Blazers shocked everyone by not only making the playoffs last year but finishing as a top 5 seed in the West. I’m not sure they’ll be able to finish in the top 5 this year but I certainly have them making it back to the playoffs most likely as a 6 or 7 seed. The Blazers simply have too much depth and too much fire power in their back court to not make it back. I expect the Blazers to be a good defensive team. The only 2 players in the rotation that don’t play defense are the starting guards and they more than make it up for it on the offensive end. It’ll be interesting to see how coach Terry Stouts divvies up the minutes on such a deep roster but that’s always a good problem to have and it ensures the team can stay afloat when injuries hit.