Stagnant Summer: What it means for the Blazers in the West
By Minh Dao
The Fever Lives On
The Blazers are not major players this summer due to some bad luck (cap fluctuations), poor timing (cap spike in the same year they had three key free agents, hence the “sticker shock”) and let’s be honest, they wouldn’t be major players anyway.
However, there is a reason why Neil Olshey always gets contacted when there is a GM vacancy, and that’s for season-altering moves like the Nurkić trade.
For those who believe it is luck, I think the track record above clearly demonstrates otherwise.
He and his staff not only scout draft talent well, but they also identify undervalued culture and personnel fits present in the league.
Jusuf Nurkić, aka the Bosnian Beast, was certainly one of them.
Nurk’s impact is undeniable
14-5 (0.737) was the record with Nurkic in the lineup where they had notable wins vs OKC, DEN, HOU and at OKC, SA, ATL, MIA.
Seven quality wins in a span that was almost a quarter of the season’s length. They were a completely different team with Nurkić inside complimenting Lillard and McCollum.
This included a league-best 13-3 March record where they boasted the third-best offensive rating, ninth-best defensive rating and second-best net rating. Portland also had the second-best starting lineup (by net rating) during this stretch.
Let’s not forget that the Blazers had the youngest roster in the league this past season, too.
Collins, Swanigan, Vonleh, Nurkić, Harkless, McCollum, and Meyers are all 25 and under. Over half the roster has not hit their prime, so before we lose our minds, let’s not forget that these guys are still young.
Internal improvement is a vehicle that the Blazers will be relying on.
Next: Blazers and Connaughton extend contract decision
They will look to guys to improve in the offseason while building on the chemistry they have cultivated.
While other teams in the West are making splashy moves, the Blazers continually trudge along improving internally like they always do.
Then the headlines comes about them “overachieving”, but that shouldn’t surprise any Blazer fans by now. But, who knows, maybe some additional reinforcements could be on the way.