When the defense was struggling, the Portland Trail Blazers could count on Aminu and Harkless to pick up the slack. What will they do now without the pair?
Last season, Al-Farouq Aminu and Maurice Harkless were the critically important pieces that formed the defensive backbone and stopped the Portland Trail Blazers from being ran out of the gym on that end of the floor each night.
But after Aminu signed a $29 million contract with Orlando and Harkless was shipped out to Los Angeles to make room for Portland’s new addition in Hassan Whiteside, the Blazers will have to look for creative alternatives to fill their hole for a dependable defender on the perimeter. The pair combined for 2.8 steals and 1.8 blocks per 36 minutes last year, so that task looks to be easier said than done.
Regardless, Neil Olshey entered the offseason with a clear plan to improve upon last year’s roster and field a contending team capable of competing for a championship. While the Blazers could not afford to retain their previous defensive wings, Olshey was crafty in adding cheap new additions that can pick up the defensive load at a much more affordable price tag.
By swapping Evan Turner for Kent Bazemore, the Blazers now have a player capable of defending agile and versatile players like James Harden and Donovan Mitchell on the perimeter. Although Bazemore is typically seen as a role player in the league, he has averaged 1.2 steals per game and maintained a 1.1 Defensive Box Plus/Minus dating back to 2014 when he first joined the Hawks.
Unfortunately, Bazemore stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs in at roughly 200 pounds, making him no match for the league’s bigger wings. Players like LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard would feast without an equally large presence to counter them on the defensive end. That’s where Mario Hezonja comes in.
Sure, he’s no European Tony Allen, but he’s the best we’re going to get. Hezonja’s 6-foot-8 and 225 pound frame is much more apt to be able to stay in front of the NBA’s elite forwards. I mean, ‘Super Mario’ has already proven he can lock down even the most intimidating players in the clutch. He’s also averaged nearly twice as many steals per 100 possessions over the last two seasons than Aminu. The more times Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum get the ball in their hands, the better.
Finally, the Portland Trail Blazers were wise to use their sole draft pick to select their next defensive prodigy in Nassir Little. Little stands at 6-foot-6 and weighs 220 pounds, but with enough speed and lateral agility to combine for the best of both worlds. However, he’s still a little too raw for full-time NBA play. If he accepts a lesser role to work on his game under some of the best mentors the league has to offer, we could see Little make a big leap and potentially contribute meaningful minutes by the time the playoffs roll around.
Everyone knows the Blazers added more scoring firepower and rebounding ability this summer, but their decision to bring in versatile defenders that can adapt to unique matchups may be just what they needed to go from “really good” to “championship contender”.