Portland Trail Blazers: 5 things to watch for on opening night against the Los Angeles Lakers

The NBA season is finally here! The Portland Trail Blazers open up the Moda Center for the Los Angeles Lakers. Here are 5 things to watch for.

New year, mostly same Portland Trail Blazers. The team opens up their regular season against the new LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers. They will undoubtedly want to get off to a good start.

Here are five things to watch for in Portland vs. LA:

Does Nurkic take advantage of LA’s weak center rotation?

Against a Lakers’ center rotation that will feature Shaqtin’ a Fool All-Star JaVale McGee and six-foot-nine Kyle Kuzma, Jusuf Nurkic could have a field day.

He will be bigger and stronger than both of these guys. And while each may give him some problems with their mobility, he will need to take advantage of them in the post and when rolling to the basket.

If the Blazers continue playing their drop-big defense, Nurkic will need to communicate well to others like Al-Farouq Aminu to pick up his assignment if they begin hanging around the perimeter.

But if Nurkic can remain on the court against a very mobile and very fast team, he could get tons of blocks and opportunities with his back to the rim.

Will the Blazers continue moving the ball?

The Blazers averaged nearly six more assists per game this preseason than they did last year. And the offense looked to flow better than it has in years past in which the ball was dominated by Portland’s big three.

With so much firepower in Meyers Leonard, Seth Curry, Nik Stauskas, the Blazers should continue to run plays to get their knockdown shooters open.

Evan Turner also looked comfortable running the backup point guard, and it will be interesting to see how he fits into this role for a longer amount of time.

If the game is close in the second half, watch to see if the Blazers keep to their new principles or fall back into their free-flow offense of past years where Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum take full control of the steering wheel.

See if the Blazers can continue assisting on 64.4 percent of their shots in the regular season.

Where Jake Layman fits in

Jake Layman had a really impressive preseason, in which he started every game. Against the Phoenix Suns, he put up 28 points – his best performance in an NBA uniform to date.

Of course, he wasn’t always filling up the scoreboard. But even when he wasn’t hitting nearly all his shots, he remained confident and aggressive on the floor, looking more mature than he ever has.

While his exhibition performances may have not guaranteed him a spot in the rotation, it likely won him a chance to compete for minutes.

Watch to see if Head Coach Terry Stotts gives Layman any time on the floor. And if he does, what type of situation and lineup he comes into.

Can the new guys get going?

Newly acquired players Seth Curry and Nik Stauskas were fine this preseason. But nothing particularly special.

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Curry at 35.7 from deep wasn’t exactly the knockdown shooter that the Blazers brought him in to be. But when he handled the ball against Phoenix, he looked good as a facilitator and shot-creator. It will be interesting to see if Portland tries to get him going as a spot-up shooter, or if they bring him in when Evan Turner is off the floor, so he can handle the ball more.

I’d expect the Blazers to provide him with both looks, but I might lean on getting him started as a playmaker rather than a shooter to get him into rhythm.

Stauskas averaged four three-pointers per game in exhibitions. Watch to see how many he gets in this first game and what type of leash he has out there. If Stauskas is hitting his threes, then he’ll get tons of minutes. But if he’s missing them, then he’ll likely be giving up some points on the other end with his lackluster defense.

We could see Stauskas in-and-out in limited minutes if things aren’t falling for him.

The Blazers will need both of these guys to play major roles in the offense this year to space the floor and take pressure off Dame and CJ. Let’s hope they get going early and often.

Will the Blazers run or try to control the game?

No doubt, the Lakers want to get out and run this year. After misses, after makes, it doesn’t matter, their hodgepodge of veteran and prospective talent will be getting the ball down the floor in a hurry.

Last year, the Blazers ranked 19th in PACE. So, while they aren’t the polar opposite of the Lakers, an ultra-high tempo game is not their forte.

See how well Portland is able to simmer down the tempo of the game and how easily they are forced into playing fast. If the Lakers can bait them into running a track meet with them, the Blazers could easily have their hands full.

Can Portland deny LeBron James his first win as a Laker? Tune in at 7:30 P.S.T and find out.