The Blazers need more from Nurkic, Turner, and Harkless if they’re going to be a force in the Western Conference.
Hall of Fame NFL coach Bill Parcells used to say, “You are what your record says you are.” Can we apply that “Parcells Lens” to the 2017-2018 Portland Trail Blazers?
The NBA season is a long and grinding road, but the one-fourth mark of the season seems like a good time to make some preliminary assessments.
As of Saturday, the Blazers are 13-9, tied for the fourth-best record in the Western Conference. But the team’s maddening inconsistency does not bode well for the rest of the season.
It’s hard to tell which team will show up on any given night.
The Blazers can light up the scoreboard like a juggernaut. (Witness their 48-point, NBA record-setting margin of victory on opening night in Phoenix.)
But they can also set a Rip City record for scoring futility. (See those measly 6 second-quarter points in a home loss to the Raptors? Ugh.)
They’ll go 4-1 on an eastern swing that seems to show the team turning a corner – but then lay a substantial egg against the Milwaukee Bucks once they’re back at Moda.
All the while, Rip City shakes its collective noggin in bewilderment.
What’s with this Jekyll-and-Hyde team? Why such inconsistency?
Consistently Inconsistent
I think several things are at play.
Jusuf Nurkic has underwhelmed and has yet to consistently display the skills proving that he can be a “Big Three” performer alongside Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Nurk’s a below-average finisher at the rim and often gets into early foul trouble.
Moe Harkless has been a total void – a nonfactor on both ends of the court. He told NBC Sports Northwest’s Jason Quick, “I just feel like I’m just out there to be out there.”
Evan Turner is shooting just 39 percent from the field, crippling the Blazers already anemic offense, which is ranked 23rd in the league in offensive rating. Ideally, Turner would be the team’s sixth or seventh scoring option; not its fourth.
Another worrisome fact, as reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive’s Mike Richman: Portland has played one of the easiest schedules in the NBA thus far, meaning things are only going to get tougher.
How will the Blazers respond?
There’s reason for optimism.
The Blazers are second in the NBA in defensive efficiency, and they’ve been a good rebounding team.
Al-Farouq Aminu is back from injury. Shabazz Napier, Pat Connaughton and Noah Vonleh have been valuable contributors. And rookie Caleb Swanigan has shown promise in limited action.
Next: Should the Blazers be higher in the West?
Parcells was right. You are what your record says you are. The Blazers are capable of playing dynamic basketball, but they’ll need a lot more from Nurk, Moe, and ET to make that happen.
Otherwise, Rip City will watch in frustration as this season grinds relentlessly on, and the Blazers struggle just to keep their heads above water.