Terry Stotts needs to be able to bench Lillard and McCollum

When Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum have an off night, Terry Stotts needs to be able to limit their minutes.

The Portland Trail Blazers rely on three players to supply offense: Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic. Now that opponents have more experience playing this trio, they are becoming easier to defend.

Dame, CJ and Nurk account for 61.5 points per game, about 60% of Portland’s total output this year. In perspective, Minnesota’s big three contributes around 53% of its offense, and OKC’s big three around 60%.

Because defenders can focus on three players rather than five, the Blazers’ offense has dipped. They are averaging five points less per game than last season and shooting 43.9% from the field, worst since the franchise debuted in 1970.

While the Big Three occasionally brings home clutch victories for Portland, their poor shot choices sacrifice winnable games as well. Losing to lottery-bound teams and teams missing its star player is unacceptable.

Because Lillard, McCollum and Nurkic carry the Blazers, blame falls on their back (sometimes unfairly). But maybe Terry Stotts should stop putting so much pressure on these three to do everything.

To say it plainly, Stotts needs to be able to bench Dame or CJ. Jusuf is out of this list because we’ve seen Stotts remove the Bosnian Beast before.

Note: By bench, I mean sit them out for longer periods of time to let the reserves try and spark a comeback, in the event either Lillard or McCollum isn’t playing well. These two are perennial starters, but don’t always need to log 35-40 minutes.

Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum have played at least 30 minutes in every game this season. It’s not unusual for a team’s star players to see the most floor time, but once every blue moon, these guys have an off-night or don’t match up well against the opposition. In these cases, Portland coaches need the ability to sit either Dame or CJ.

Let’s look at three examples:

New Orleans Pelicans (10/24)

Dame couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn this game. He shot 3/16 from the field and even missed three of his nine free throws. On top of that, Lillard turned the ball over six times, tying a season-high. He finished with just 13 points.

Off the bench, Pat Connaughton had two three-pointers, hit all four charity stripers and was +14. In 13 less minutes, Pat totaled as many points as Dame.

Very rarely does Lillard shoot like this. But every 20 or so games when he does struggle from the field, Stotts must allow other players to chime in. Pat was having one of his better nights and could’ve contributed more for the Blazers.

Philadelphia 76ers (11/22)

CJ McCollum shot 7% against the 76ers and still played 36 minutes in route to a 20-point loss. Defensively, he was outsized by Philadelphia’s big lineup, leading to a plus/minus of -21, lowest on the team.

In 27 minutes off the bench, Shabazz Napier scored 13 points and dished out four assists. While he wouldn’t have solved the defensive problems, Napier provided more offense than McCollum.

Washington Wizards (11/25)

Once again, I put the target on CJ’s back. Bradley Beal scored 51 points against Portland, a record at the Moda Center.

Guess who primarily guarded Beal.

CJ McCollum.

Sure, Beal slid around countless screens for open jumpers and CJ is not entirely to blame. At the same time, if Stotts doesn’t want to double team, he needs to assign a better defender to Beal. Evan Turner and Pat Connaughton are more capable to fighting through screens than McCollum, possibly lowering Beal’s obscene points tally.

Disclaimer

This article is not a challenge to Terry Stotts’ coaching methods, nor Dame and CJ’s abilities. They make up the best backcourt in the NBA, but like everyone, have the occasional night off.

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When this does happen, Stotts can’t be afraid to pull them. If the team is down by 20 points, sometimes new energy is needed to spark a comeback.

Not only that, but it also gives the reserves extra playing time. With more experience, Blazers outside the Big Three can contribute and therefore mitigate the inconsistency problems.