Since the 13-game win streak ended, the Blazers are 4-7 and at risk of losing home court advantage in the playoffs.
Over the last 11 games, the Portland Trail Blazers are 4-7 – this is the ninth worst record in the league during that span. The Washington Wizards are the only other playoff-bound team winning so few over the last 11.
The defense has certainly had its struggles in the losses. But that blame can easily be directed towards the injuries of Maurice Harkless and Ed Davis.
Related Story: Maurice Harkless and Ed Davis injuries hurting team defense
Portland’s offense similarly struggles, not because of Harkless and Davis sitting out, though. In the last 11 games, the Blazers rank dead last in three-point percentage at 29%. On the season, the team is 11th at 36.6%, highlighting the poor shooting recently.
Al-Farouq Aminu
Al-Farouq Aminu sits front and center in the discussion of inconsistent shooting. He shot 28/64 (43.8%) from three in the 13 consecutive wins, but connected on 12/59 (20.3%) in the last 11. Aminu understands his recent form, but has no simple answer on how to correct it.
Jason Quick of NBC Sports Northwest spoke to Chief on diagnosing the source of these shooting problems. He said this on if the delivery felt different at all:
"“I wish it was that simple, in the sense it felt off, then it would be easier to correct. Just as a whole team, myself included, the ball hasn’t gone in as much as we would like to.’’"
Rest of Team
Although Aminu has picked up slack since the injury to Harkless, he’s not the only player encountering the bad-shooting bug.
In March, CJ McCollum is making 34.4% of his shots, including 20.7% from three. His scoring rests way below season averages, yet the field goal attempts continue to fly in. In fact, McCollum is on track to shoot more this month than any other despite the lack of success thus far.
Shabazz Napier‘s breakout season fades as well. He’s posting slightly above 7 points per contest on 32.5% shooting this month, both worse than his season averages.
Only Jusuf Nurkic stays on-par with his totals for the year in both percentages and scoring.
But head coach Terry Stotts thinks little of the current shooting slump. He downplays its prevalence to Quick, ““There’s nothing to make of it. As long as we get good looks, I’m fine. That’s part of the game.’’
As usual, Damian Lillard sides with his coach. Optimistic that the team’s shots will start falling for playoffs, he says,
"“If we were shooting bad because we are taking bad shots, then that would be a problem. But we are getting good looks. We are NBA players and we shoot the ball, that’s what our team does. It’s not a concern. It always comes back.’’"
But in the end, it’s hard to ignore the facts. Percentages across the board are down in the last 11 games, and subsequently so are assist numbers. In that span, Portland ranks dead last in the league for assists with a measly 20.1 per game.
A completely healthy lineup can certainly boost the offense and defense in time for playoffs. The concern lingers, when will Harkless play again? Furthermore, do the Blazers need Moe to improve the offense, or will his return not help?
Next: 3 seed still available for struggling Blazers
One game remains; Portland hosts Utah with home court advantage on the line. The Jazz have won five straight and understand the benefits of hosting the first round of playoffs. The Blazers must flip the script on the last 11 games to pull out a win and secure the three seed Wednesday night.
In the meantime, root for Golden State to defeat Utah and Oklahoma City to defeat Memphis. Games out of Portland’s control can decide home court advantage, but so can winning on Wednesday.