Can the Post Deadline Blazers Win the West?
Every year the Blazers are there for playoff basketball. In fact, since Damian Lillard entered the NBA, the only year the Blazers missed out on the playoffs was his rookie year. The Blazers, however, have been one for relatively short exits. Despite the 7 consecutive playoff appearances, they only have accumulated 4 playoff series wins in that time. The staying power of those series victories, pretty strong considering Dame ended two of the series (Rockets, Thunder) with buzzer beater shots. In an NBA landscape in which players are always scoping out their next destinations, and tampering is at an all time high, the Blazers superstars in Dame Lillard and CJ McCollum have shown a unique loyalty towards the team that drafted them. What they’ve developed into is one of the most lethal offensive backcourts in the entire league. Dame now fully an MVP threat every year and CJ McCollum arguably the best player in the NBA to not get an All-Star nod.
The accomplishments of guard pairing are even the more impressive considering their backgrounds playing for mid major college programs… CJ leading his Lehigh team to a historic win over Duke in March and Dame putting on a show in the Big Sky for Weber State. The pair have grown together under the exemplary guidance of head coach Terry Stotts. Unfortunately though, resting on these kind of laurels isn’t the way of life and with Lillard having just turned 30 and CJ about to turn 30 as well, each is firmly in their prime and the window is now. So the question must be begged, have the Blazers elevated themselves from an early-exit level playoff team to a true contender in the Western Conference?
My answer is yes. The growth we’ve seen from CJ and Dame has never truly plateaued. Each somehow manages to elevate facets of their game each season. Unfortunately for CJ, he was a shoe in for the All-Star game this season before he fractured his left mid-foot. The combination of their offensive abilities creates a fluid scoring partnership in which one nor the other truly ever has the onus to get it done. The other impeccable asset they have is the clutch time statistics of Damian Lillard. Here is a state from NBA.com/Stats which highlights just how different his end game performances have been “Lillard is shooting 68 percent on twos, 58.3 percent from three and has made all 28 of his free throws in crunch-time, per NBA.com/stats. His 84.8 true shooting percentage ranks first among all high-usage players by over eight points”. Ya that will play when it matters most.
Beyond the guard play, I think it’s important to assess who has knocked them out in the past. 3 of their past 5 exits have been to the Warriors. One of the greatest dynasties of all time. The Western Conference doesn’t have that looming threat anymore which cancels out any opponents best counter. The Clippers and Lakers are worthy of their favorite status, and the Jazz and Suns are worthy of their #1 and #2 seeds in the West, but there is no doubt that the field is relatively open, partially due to serious injuries (Lakers) that have complicated the mix. The Blazers did not let the deadline pass without taking their shot. They shipped Rodney Hood, and valuable young piece Gary Trent Jr. to the Raptors in return for one of the best 6 man players in the league in Norman Powell. This move fit directly in line with the win now attitude they are taking on. Norman Powell has played in an NBA finals (limited mins) and been in the playoffs several years running. Though Gary Trent Jr. is a rising star, the Blazers were content on acquiring a guard who can create his own shot, provide energy off the bench and elevate the team from an energy standpoint. I think they also see his game as being passable for mimicking the Lillard role on offense when Lillard is resting. A dynamic addition for a team who is announcing their intentions for this campaign.
Ultimately, the questions for the Blazers come at the big man position. They have tried so hard to draft capable big men in Caleb Swanigan and Zach Collins to provide a buttress for the starry backcourt they have in place. These selections have not quite met the mark. Jusuf Nurkic, when playing, is a positive big man who adds a lot in terms of skilled applications as well as ferocity. He’s the Blazers that can intimidate the bigs they would run into in playoff time. He just returned to the Blazers following a significant wrist injury and him finding form will be crucial over these last few months. If we are talking bigs, it also must be said that Carmelo can serve as the 3 or 4 for the Blazers and seems to not only have found his stroke this season, but also his love for the game. The production he has brought off the bench has been sweet to watch. Timeless.
For the Blazers, they realistically might need some help. That’s ok. Their team is well equipped to challenge anyone, but when you are talking about the King/AD combo and PG/Kawhi combo, their is definitely a mountain to climb. The Blazers have still fallen short on assembling their front court. But the snipers they have surrounded CJ and Dame with contribute to a growing confidence that they can challenge. Dame late game, series on the line, you will live with that if you are Portland, and man do I hope they get their shot at a big boy in this postseason. One thing is certain, this team is not built to roll over.
