The Portland Trail Blazers have relied on Al-Farouq Aminu and Maurice Harkless in the frontcourt for a few years now. Is it time to move on?
The Portland Trail Blazers have rolled with starting forwards Maurice Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu since the roster overhaul following the 2014-15 season. Both players found their way to Portland immediately 2014-15, with Aminu joining the squad via free agency and Harkless being acquired from the Orlando Magic for a 2nd round pick.
Since the pair of forwards made their way to Rip City the Blazers hold a record of 153-127 with three playoff appearances. Currently sitting at 19-15, a fourth playoff appearance may be on the way.
Yet, no one is crediting the frontcourt duo for any of that success. Between the superstardom of Damian Lillard and the emergences of CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic, few outside of Portland likely even know Harkless and Aminu play for the team. The two wings have been carried by Lillard and the others for quite some time. Four years into the experiment, it is time for Portland to move on.
No Show Mo
Maurice Harkless may be one of the least productive starting players in the NBA with career averages of 7.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. The figures more closely resemble a fringe rotational piece than a reliable starting player.
The problems do not stop there. Harkless’s shooting percentage has decreased in each season following his career year in 2016-17 (10 ppg, 4.4 rpg). Injuries have begun to set in as well, as the St. John’s product has missed 72 games in the past season and a half.
Perhaps the biggest problem with Harkless lies in his lack of defensive presence. During his best times in Portland, Harkless’s hustle and grit endeared him to the Blazer Nation. In fact, the forward’s defensive potential is what led head coach Terry Stotts to keep going back to Harkless as the starter in the rotation.
Yet, the Blazer defense is only getting worse. While this is not entirely Harkless’s fault, No Show Mo is a Blazer primarily to be a defensive stopper. The lack of offensive contribution is tolerated for that reason and that reason alone. If the defense is not working, and Harkless is not scoring, Mo’s time as a Blazer needs to come to an end.
Al-Farouq Aminu: Maurice Harkless V.2
Al-Farouq Aminu is a near carbon copy of Harkless on the court. While Harkless is unbelievably slightly more efficient offensively, Aminu is the more aggressive rebounder. The pair possesses similar strengths and weaknesses defensively as well. Even the career averages are highly comparable, with Aminu logging 7.6 points and 6 rebounds per night throughout his 8 NBA seasons.
The similarities lead one to realize the criticisms of Harkless apply to Aminu as well. Aminu was originally brought to Portland to act as a versatile defensive wing. The offense was supposed to be taken care of by franchise cornerstone Lillard, and then later the combination of Lillard and McCollum. The issue with the split backcourt-frontcourt focus is that opposing teams have found a simple solution: double team the guards on offense, attack the guards on defense.
Closing Line
Starting not one, but two, one-dimensional wings is a recipe for disaster. It is honestly stunning that Portland has been as pseudo-competitive as it has been over the past three and a half seasons.
That pseudo-competitiveness is almost entirely to the credit of Damian Lillard and to a lesser extent McCollum and Nurkic. All three of said core pieces are either in or near their prime years, which makes timing ever so important for the Trail Blazers.
The team has the early makings of a real title contender, but the second round will be the ceiling as long as Harkless and Aminu are around. While each had some shining moments in Rip City, the time for the Blazers to move on is now.