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Do the Trail Blazers Already Have a Defensive Presence?

By McLayne Bertsch

April 20, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Ed Davis (17) grabs a rebound against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
April 20, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Ed Davis (17) grabs a rebound against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Trail Blazers’ need help defending three pointers – not defending the rim

The Portland Trail Blazers’ biggest ‘need’ of this offseason was a rim protector. According to NBA.com, The Trail Blazers ranked 21st in the league last year in defensive efficiency. If Portland has any shot of making a leap this year, it will be on the defensive end. Owning a center that will swat or alter opposing shots near the rim is the quickest way to improve team defense.

The NBA’s offensive trend toward layups and three pointers is not going anywhere. There are plenty of factors that go into defending three pointers, making it tougher to nail down how to improve on opposing 3PFG%. However, an elite rim protector is a sure fire way to slow down the opposition from easy, close range buckets.

Blazers fans thought they signed that sought after rim protector in Festus Ezeli. A lingering knee issue is lowering expectations by the day. Fortunately, a quick glance into last year’s rim protection statistics hint that the Blazers already have a rim protector on the roster. By a few different metrics, Ed Davis is an elite rim protector.

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Davis was fifth in the league at defending the opposition within six feet of the rim – fourth if you only include centers (LeBron James leads the list as a forward because… he’s the king). The other names on the list are those who have a ‘rim protector’ reputation. (Rudy Gobert, Hassan Whiteside, Bismack Biyombo, etc.)

Generally, Davis is thought of as a hustle/energy big man off the bench – someone who outhustles opponents for rebounds and sneaks in a few put back buckets on the offensive glass. Davis definitely deserves that reputation given his offensive rebounding rate. However, Davis also defends the rim.

In fact, the Trail Blazers didn’t even need help defending the rim at all. As a team, Portland ranked fourth in the league at defending opponents within five feet of the rim. The problem last year was actually defending three pointers: Portland tied for third worst in the league. It’s a much bigger and team oriented task to defend three pointers. If Portland has a chance to match or exceed the success they achieved last year, it starts with defending the long ball.

This is where Davis could prove more useful than it appears once again. The second unit struggled on defense until Meyers Leonard was moved closer to the basket. Placing the more fleet-footed Davis on the perimeter oriented big man provided a boost to Portland’s defense. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum often struggle to get around screens, but that problem can be negated by having a post player that can easily switch off of picks.

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The Trail Blazers should take a step forward on defense in the 2016-17 season – even if Ezeli is sidelined for long stretches. Perhaps this will be the year that Davis gets recognized for his efforts on the defensive end.