3 Good (and Bad) Takeaways from 3 Portland Games

The Portland Trail Blazers are three games into preseason and sit at 1-2. Records in the preseason are essentially useless. There are teams who are undefeated that realistically have no shot at a championship this season (see Knicks, New York) and teams that are winless, yet will surely be at the top of the league (Cleveland Cavaliers). So record aside, what takeaways are there from the three Blazer games thus far? Though you could name many more for each side, we will look at three good (and bad) things from the three games thus far and see how they continue to play out the rest of preseason and beyond.

Oct 10, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Allen Crabbe (23) controls the ball against the Sacramento Kings during the second quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Good: Allen Crabbe!

No doubt, one of the biggest questions for the Blazers this season will be who else can score consistently besides Damian Lillard. Though its early, Allen Crabbe is showing some promise.

Taken 31st overall in the 2013 draft, Crabbe, who scored 16 PPG over his three year career at the University of California and was expected to keep that going at the NBA level, has disappointed in his first two seasons. Scoring just 3 PPG in 12 MPG, the 6’6 guard was starting to have some questions raised about him even being on the roster.

However, after a strong summer, Crabbe has continued his excellent play and is making a serious case for some serious minutes. Averaging 16.7 PPG, Crabbe is shooting an outstanding 65% from the field and 58% from three. Those numbers are not sustainable, but showing the ability to have outbursts like this will go a long way for the Blazers this season.

The Bad: Passing the ball to the wrong team

We just covered how the Blazers need a second scorer right? Well, its hard to score at all when you keep giving the ball to the other team. After three games, Portland is coughing up the ball 21.7 times per game, the second most in the NBA preseason behind Memphis. Those most responsible are Al-Farouq Aminu (5 TOV), Moe Harkless (4 TOs in his one game) and Tim Frazier (2.5 TOV).

These numbers just add to the concern that, besides Lillard (man that guy is important isn’t he?), we have no clue who else can be a primary ball handler. Someone has to step up and be able to, at the very least, run the floor and push the ball. This is something that needs to be addressed. On the bright side, at least their guards aren’t doing this:

The Good: Rebound that basketball (clap clap clap clap clap clap)

Does anyone else get that reference? Old high school cheer in basketball games? Am I getting too old for that to be relevant? You know what, just don’t answer and we’ll move on…

So yeah, rebounding! Ranking 7th in the league, the Blazers have pulled down 50 boards a game!  With a plethora of big men, this is something that the Blazers should excel at, and thus far they have not disappointed. Davis, Noah Vonleh, Aminu, Mason Plumlee and Harkless are all averaging at least 6 RPG, and Pat Connaughton pulled down 11 boards last night.

50 RPG is a high number that likely will not hold. For reference, last season the Oklahoma City Thunder lead the league in rebounds per game with 47.5 (via stats.NBA.com). If the team can find a way to stay in the top 10 in that category, they will find themselves in a lot more close games than if they don’t.

The bad: Backup PG

We touched on this briefly in our first “the bad” topic, but it deserves its own heading. Knowing what you do about the players on the roster, and looking at this preseason thus far, is there anyone you are comfortable throwing your stock into as the backup PG? There certainly isn’t for me.

Sources tell me that Luis Montero (who we wrote about last week here) will not make the final roster. With him out of the mix, we are now looking at Frazier and Phil Pressey, who both have some serious issues.

Apr 15, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea (5) guards Portland Trail Blazers guard Tim Frazier (10) during the game at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Trail Blazers 114-98. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Frazier is someone we just simply haven’t seen enough to develop a true opinion on, as he has just 11 regular season games under his belt. He does hold a 2:1 AST/TO ratio so far this preseason, but he has not shown the ability to score consistently at all; he shot just 38% in the Summer League (via basketball.realgm.com). Pressey meanwhile (who we wrote about here) can’t score period. While both of these guys have some good traits, they both have some major deficiencies as well.

The good: Pace

One thing it’s hard to argue about this young Blazers squad is how athletic they are. Though it is difficult (read: not a good idea) to rely on the fast break for the majority of your points, its hard not to act like it isn’t working so far. Ranking 7th in the NBA, the Blazers are currently averaging 102.61 possessions per 48 minutes. Again, to give you reference, last season the Golden State Warriors played at a league high 100.69 pace.

Knowing that 102 mark will come down, it is still nice to see Portland taking advantage of the team’s athletic ability. Most nights they will not be the most talented team on the court, but there are few teams that boast the athleticism at all five positions that they do. While it is fools gold to think that they can win doing this all the time, it is without a doubt an advantage that they would be wise to play to when they can.

The bad: Our second unit

We just went into our PG issues, I know, but as I write this, I realize that it’s every position that I’m worried about. There are plenty of concerns as it is about scoring the ball, but what about when they sub? The starting lineup is still yet to be determined, but regardless, who is going to score off the bench? Davis? Leonard? CHRIS KAMEN??

No doubt, Portland needs help on the bench. Maybe some will surprise us and provide a hot hand off the bench (no pressure Crabbe but it pretty much has to be you), but if not, this could be the downfall in many games.