Joel Freeland evolving – Will the Trail Blazers adapt as well?

Joel Freeland has been truly remarkable as a stand-in for Robin Lopez (hand) over the past few weeks. Though perhaps less of a threat than Lopez on the offensive end, his sterling defense has been nothing short of a necessity. The Trail Blazers have survived on his skills as a rim protector and rebounder.

In fact, Freeland’s defense has not only kept them from falling apart, it has actually helped them improve. The Trail Blazers’ defensive rating was expected to drop off when Lopez broke his hand, but it has instead climbed from third-best in the NBA to a tie for second-best.

More importantly, they have kept on winning with Freeland in the lineup. Since Lopez’s injury, they are 7-1; which begs the question: “What happens when Lopez returns in a month?” He will surely rejoin the starting lineup, and Chris Kaman isn’t going anywhere as a backup. Will Freeland remain an important part of the Trail Blazers’ nightly rotation?

Dec 26, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Michael Carter-Williams (1) looks to pass the ball as Portland Trail Blazers center Joel Freeland (19) defends during the third quarter of the game at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

Reason says yes, but logistics say no. There are only so many minutes to distribute in a basketball game. Although Freeland was able to leapfrog Kaman and become a starter while Lopez is out, he is unlikely to replace Kaman when they return to sharing the bench. This is because the starting lineup most needs a defensive anchor but the second unit most needs offensive production; Kaman can best Freeland twice over in the latter.

This is all rather unfortunate since Freeland has proven to be effective in 20+ minutes per game, yet there may still be hope for him. It seems unlikely that he will regress to the DNPs and intermittent single-digit minutes he saw in the early season. Trail Blazers Head Coach Terry Stotts should find ways to keep Freeland involved, perhaps splitting his time between power forward and center in small doses if need be.

Looking at the big picture for a moment, Freeland’s emergence as a viable starting option will have some positive and negative effects for Portland in 2015 free agency. On one hand, the Trail Blazers have a fall-back if Lopez becomes too expensive. On the other, Freeland’s price is rising too, and it may be more difficult to keep both of them than previously expected. That is a topic for another time.

For now, Freeland will almost certainly continue to start in place of Lopez and almost certainly continue to be the glue that holds the team together; maybe increasingly so. He tallied his first career double-double on Sunday against the Knicks and has corralled double-digit rebounds in each of his last three games. He is transitioning from helpful to integral.