Portland Trail Blazers Roundtable: Analyzing the Current State of the Team and What to do Moving Forward

Question 1: What Has Held Portland Back From Getting to the Next Level?

Jakob Ashlin (@jakobashlin): The Blazers have consistently overachieved with the roster they have put in place. Their success is owed to their great chemistry and a good coaching job by Terry Stotts. Damian Lillard is unquestionably one of the best players in the NBA, but this roster lacks a second All-Star, a true three-and-d wing, and does not have the depth to make up for it. I would explore the trade market for wings and also keep on eye on the upcoming free agent class.

Although I feel Stotts has done a good job coaching the team, he still has not completely maximized their skillsets. The Blazers seem to rely on Lillard and McCollum to play iso ball when they are struggling on offense. Taking those contested shots often makes their deficit worse. They also struggle to shoot the three at times, despite being loaded with capable shooters (Lillard, McCollum, Stauskas, Seth Curry). If Stotts can design an offense with more ball movement and stick to it, the Blazers can become even better.

Doug Patrick (@NBAAnalystDoug): There are a few things. Most recently, the Blazers just didn’t have an alternative on offense when Damian Lillard was double-teamed and CJ McCollum lacked the type of playmaking ability to make his teammates around him better. As they’ve begun to fix this issue by playing Dame and CJ together more often, I think we’re seeing that the Portland guards just aren’t very good defensively. Either you’ve got an undersized pair in Lillard and McCollum or you’ve got average defenders at best in Nik Stauskas and Seth Curry.

Beyond the guards, I feel the Blazers lack the type of 3-and-D wing and stretch four that could both help defensively and open the floor for Dame and CJ when Jusuf Nurkic is on the court. Al-Farouq Aminu and Maurice Harkless have the D part, but the 3 part is streaky at best.

Josh Gutbrod (@JoshGutbrod): I think a few things could be the problem here. For starters, Neil Olshey spent the team’s cap space far too quickly after the exodus of players the year LaMarcus Aldridge left. Olshey spent about 37 million on long-term deals for Maurice Harkless, Meyers Leonard, and Evan Turner. Harkless and Turner, to me, are at best good role players. The kind of money spent there could have been used to pair Lillard with another big star, which I think should have taken priority over maintaining what remains to be an underwhelming supporting cast.

I also think the similarities between Lillard and McCollum pose some issues. McCollum is tremendously talented, but being the same size and having a similar skillset to Lillard puts an additional strain on the supporting cast. Guys that are already not particularly great players have to try and help overcompensate for the lack of balance brought about by playing two stars that have almost identical strengths and weaknesses.

Matt George Moore (@MattGeorgeMoore): The Portland Trail Blazers are off to a decent start this season, with a 12-8 record as of Tuesday — the same record, as a matter of fact, that they had after the first 20 games last season. I think this year’s roster is better positioned to make a strong run to and through the playoffs, however. This comes as a pleasant surprise to me since I was doubtful that the moves the franchise made in the offseason would improve the product on the court.

What might hold them back? A few things. First, they’re still not good enough to beat Golden State in a playoff series. (Who is, really?) Second, they’re going to need more from Jusuf Nurkic, who has proven himself to be reliable if far from a spectacular performer. Without a third player to equal and/or complement the play of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, the Blazers simply do not have enough firepower to contend for a Western Conference title. Finally, although there are clear signs of progress, the Blazers can’t yet rely on Zach Collins to fill that firepower gap.

Shade Piper (@theLob_Shade): Portland’s lack of star power has held them back. Dating all the way back to when a young Damian Lillard was running the show alongside LaMarcus Aldridge, the Blazers have been solid, but never great because they’ve only ever had 2 stars at once (Lillard-Aldridge and Lillard-McCollum). They’ve got to add another star to have any shot whatsoever at a championship. I mean look at the last several NBA Championship teams: the Warriors have won the last 2 (Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant), then the Cavaliers (LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love), the Warriors (Curry, Thompson, and Green),  the Spurs (Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili), and the Miami Heat won the two prior to that (LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh). You have to have at least 3 stars to seriously compete in the playoffs.