The Portland Trail Blazers Need to Revamp the Defense

Over the last couple of seasons, the Portland Trail Blazers have used a fairly conservative defensive system that encourages opponents to take mid-range shots, but limit three-point attempts. The system worked for the most part; last season, opponents only attempted 7.7 shots from 25-29 feet per game against the Trail Blazers. That mark was the third-lowest total among teams, per NBA.com.

In their effort to protect the three-point line, they gave up the third-most attempts from both 10 to 14 feet and 15 to 19 feet, per NBA.com. In theory, the defense was sound, but it rarely caused turnovers. Last season, the Portland Trail Blazers caused opponents to turn the ball over 12.2 times per game, the lowest amount in the league. They rarely jumped passing lanes or packed the paint. They simply did not risk defensive position for the opportunity to force a turnover.

Mar 18, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) attempts to steal the ball away from Milwaukee Bucks guard Nate Wolters (6) in the second half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

It is understandable why the Trail Blazers adapted this system; most of their personnel topped out as average or just slightly above average defenders. That might have been the case then, but the team is completely different now. The team’s front office acquired athletic players like Maurice Harkless, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Ed Davis capable of defending multiple positions. Players already on the roster with similar profiles like Allen Crabbe and C.J. McCollum will be given more minutes so it may be time to try out a new system.

Obviously, a new system can’t be instituted so close to the beginning of the season, but given the amount of athleticism and length on this team, the future adaptation of a more aggressive style seems like a prudent course of action. Two examples of such styles are the current Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat during the Big Three Era.

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Last season, the Milwaukee Bucks forced the most turnovers in the league, per NBA.com. They were able to do this because they sent extra defenders at opposing ball handlers to clog the lane. In a simple pick-and-roll, a third defender would come up to the foul line to bump roll men or break up passing lanes.

In that system, a third defender will always be ready to overload one side of the floor to snuff out any play. Teams can take advantage of this by passing ahead of the play, but the Bucks were athletic enough to recover. Though the Bucks are a young team, they were able to master this philosophy. The Trail Blazers are comparable in terms of youth and athleticism; so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the team could adapt this system.

During LeBron’s run with the Heat, they blitzed every pick-and-roll and trapped the ball handler, hopefully blowing up the play and forcing a turnover. This style requires quick big men that can corral the ball handler, and wing players that can cover large amounts of space even though they’re outnumbered by the offense.

Because of the movement needed, this style requires a considerable amount of precision and discipline. It also didn’t hurt that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade were two of the greatest rim protecting wing players to ever play basketball. It probably isn’t fair of me to expect or even dream of the current Trail Blazers playing like that.

Admittedly, there are other obstacles to the Trail Blazers establishing a stronger defensive identity. Lillard is still a minus on the defensive end, and incapable of reliably stopping ball handlers from penetrating. He worked on his defense during the summer, but hasn’t displayed any substantial improvement. Coach Stotts also seems intent on starting Meyers Leonard even though he doesn’t have the lateral quickness to stay with guards, or cover stretches of court quickly.

Obviously Lillard is going to start; the offense begins and dies with him, but Coach Stotts may want to consider surrounding with the best defenders on the team. Their size and length could cover his deficiencies while giving the team the ability to overwhelm opposing defenses with their speed and athleticism.