4 Blazers That Need to Step up the Most Against Golden State

Apr 6, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Evan Turner (1) fouls Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio (9) during the third quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

With Tip-Off Sunday, and the Possibility of no Jusuf Nurkic, the Blazers will need to Rely on Production from Other Players besides C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard

With news breaking Friday that there is still no real timeline to Nurkic’s return from injury, the Blazers may be without the Bosnian Beast in game one.

Blazers list Jusuf Nurkic as questionable for Game 1 Sunday
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) April 15, 2017

After he went down, the Blazers effectively went 3-2 (1-1 in scrub games) including a career high night from Lillard against Utah.

However, if the Blazers want any chance and defeating the two time Western Conference Champions, they will need some major contributions from other players.

Let’s take a look at three players that will need to have career-type numbers and explain what their priority should be going into the series.

Mar 4, 2017; Portland, OR, USA;Portland Trail Blazers forward Al-Farouq Aminu (8) reacts after hitting a three point shot during the second half of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Moda Center. Blazers won the game 130-116. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

Al-Farouq Aminu Needs to Shoot at Least 40% from Three

Aminu has developed a repertoire of either clunking or swishing the three ball. Although mainly on the floor for his defense, the lanky forward is averaging 3.5 three attempts per game and hitting 33% of them.

When looking at his game log, there are a lot of 0% games to counter the +50% games, meaning inconsistency is the story line.

If you take a look back at the Blazers vs. Clippers series from last year, and even spilling over into the Warriors series, Aminu’s shot was the x-factor towards a win and a loss. He had a great game four against LA nailing six threes, while he shot an eye-popping 55% from three on 29 attempts against Golden State.

February 15, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30), forward Kevin Durant (35), forward Draymond Green (23), and guard Klay Thompson (11) pose with their All-Star jerseys before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The reason Golden State is so lethal is the three ball. They effectively have three reliable shooters, with Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala knocking them down enough to be a threat. By spreading the floor like they do, it creates a sense of panic on defense. It’s the reason why the Warriors can turn a two point lead into a 20 point blowout in under a minute.

If Aminu can be the reliable shooter we need him to be, then that gives us enough shooters to counter. The Blazers could give the Warriors a taste of their own medicine.

Chief has the potential, it’s just a question on whether he can deliver.