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Trail Blazers Should Mimic Spurs Approach to Rest

By Steven Dewald

Mar 17, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) passes the ball over San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9) during the first half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) passes the ball over San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9) during the first half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Trail Blazers have relied on big minutes from their starting lineup in recent years, but is it time for a change in their approach?

The Trail Blazers now boast one of the deepest rosters in the league, which could lead to a major shift in how they manage resting their players. Terry Stotts has never had this many viable options since he arrived in Portland before the 2012-13 campaign. In that span, Stotts has depended on his starters to play big minutes throughout the course of the regular season. With improved depth, it might be time to rely on the other players further down the depth chart.

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Since coming to the NBA, Damian Lillard has never had a season in which he averaged below 35 minutes per game (MPG). In his rookie campaign (the 2012-13 season) he led the league with 3,167 regular season minutes. His pace hasn’t slowed down much since then either, which is likely why he was bothered by a nagging plantar fasciitis injury last year. You can’t blame the Trail Blazers for leaning so heavily on his talents, but a shift in his rest schedule might be necessary to guarantee he is at his best in the postseason.

One franchise stands out the most when comes to managing the rigors of a full 82 game schedule – the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have managed to make the playoffs every year for nearly two decades and they’ve managed to stay relatively healthy in the process. The biggest factor to this success is controlling the output of the teams key players during the regular season.

Greg Popovich has changed how teams approach the regular season. The Spurs manage to qualify for the postseason and keep their players relatively fresh in the process. We mentioned Lillard’s MPG numbers earlier for a reason, as they stand in stark contrast with Tony Parker‘s usage numbers over last three years. Parker hasn’t played over 30 MPG since the 2012-13 season, and he hasn’t played in over 34 MPG since the 2008-09 campaign.

Jan 3, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9) watches from the bench during the first half against the Washington Wizards at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9) watches from the bench during the first half against the Washington Wizards at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /

We understand that comparing Lillard to Parker at this point isn’t completely fair, but it does raise a solid point. If the Trail Blazers want to maximize Lillard’s effectiveness they’ll have to start monitoring his minutes in the regular season.

As it stands currently, Portland might not have enough minutes to keep everyone on their roster happy. Relying on the young pieces that Neil Olshey (Trail Blazers GM) has assembled could be the best way to keep the starters healthy moving forward. Allowing the players that reside on the deeper side of the bench to play meaningful minutes could improve their trade stock in the process, which could seriously help Olshey operate under a tight salary cap margin.

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This entire idea only works if the players on Portland’s bench continue to grow. Given the sizable investment that the team has made to those players – it certainly looks like they believe they can handle the responsibility.