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2018-19 Portland Trail Blazers backcourt preview

By Shawn P. O’Connor

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 08: Wade Baldwin IV #2 of the Portland Trail Blazers dribbles against the Atlanta Hawks during the 2018 NBA Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 8, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 08: Wade Baldwin IV #2 of the Portland Trail Blazers dribbles against the Atlanta Hawks during the 2018 NBA Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 8, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images) /
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The Portland Trail Blazers have a fantastic pair of guards in Lillard and CJ. The depth behind these two players will likely play a major role in this team’s success.

Portland has turned into a powerhouse for guards. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum lead one of the highest scoring backcourts in the NBA, allowing Portland to win 49 games last season and be a perennial playoff team. This offseason, the Blazer backcourt expanded, as eight of the eighteen players on the current rosters are guards. The Trail Blazers have a very interesting backcourt this season, and with a relatively weak frontcourt, the guards in Portland will have to carry this team once again to the playoffs.

Point Guards

Damian Lillard

Wade Baldwin IV

Gary Payton II

Damian Lillard leads a talented point guard position into the 2018-19 campaign. Lillard averaged 26.9 points and 6.6 assists in 36.6 minutes played per game, earning his third All-Star game invite. Dame shot lights out from three (36.1%), and was nearly perfect from the charity stripe (91.6%). Damian is one of the best point guards in the NBA and is firmly in his prime, making him a dark horse MVP candidate next season.

Backing up Lillard is a pair of young guards in Wade Baldwin IV and Gary Payton II. Baldwin IV, the 6-4 third year player out of Vanderbilt, showed incredible promise last season, particularly as a defensive player. Wade has appeared in 40 NBA games, and is a career 36.8% shooter from the field. Wade grabbed just over one rebound and scored 5.4 points per game in 11.4 minutes per game in seven appearances with the Blazers. Gary Payton II is a third year player out of Oregon State, who has seen action for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. Payton averaged 1.9 rebounds and 3.1 points in 11 minutes per game in 29 career appearances. Gary is another point guard prospect, and will likely be the third point guard on the roster behind Wade and Dame.

Damian Lillard is one of the best point guards in the league, that much is obvious. Wade Baldwin IV and Gary Payton II are both promising prospects, adding intrigue. Wade Baldwin has a chance to have a big season backing up Damian, and Gary Payton II has a chance to cement his place on the roster with a solid 2018 season.

Shooting Guards

CJ McCollum

Seth Curry

Anfernee Simons

Nik Stauskas

Gary Trent, Jr.

CJ McCollum is an elite player at the point guard position, leading the way in a crowded shooting guard room. CJ played and started in all but one game for the Blazers last season (thanks NBA), and put on a show. McCollum shot 39.7% from beyond the arc, scoring 21.4 points per game in 36.1 minutes played per appearance. CJ continues to be a top level talent at the shooting guard position, and he will continue to lead one of the best two-headed backcourts in the NBA.

The other four players in the shooting guard room is a mix of veterans and rookie prospects, led by the better of the two Curry’s in Seth Curry. Curry had a career year last season, appearing in 70 contests while averaging 12.8 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.6 rebounds in 29.0 minutes per game. Curry will likely play as the primary backup to CJ McCollum. Nik Stauskas also provides a veteran presence at the shooting guard position, playing in 267 career games while averaging 7 points per game in his career. The presence of Curry and Stauskas will allow the rookies in Anfernee Simons and Gary Trent, Jr. time to develop.

Anfernee Simons and Gary Trent, Jr. are the future of the shooting guard position in Portland. Anfernee is an interesting case, as he is a 19 year old product out of the IMG Academy. Simons showed up in Summer League, scoring 11 points in 20 minutes played per game on the way to the Summer League Championship. Gary Trent, Jr. is a one-and-done product from Duke, playing 33.8 minutes per game while averaging 14.5 points per game. At 6-6, Gary is a powerful shooting guard that can add size to the Blazer backcourt.

Related Story. 2018-19 Frontcourt Preview. light

The Blazer backcourt is led by two of the greatest guards in the NBA. Behind Damian and CJ, however, is a massive amount of unproven talent. Time will tell who will step up and fill the rotational spots behind the starting guards.