The Portland Trail Blazers embarrassed themselves against the Warriors this week. Though this result was likely a one-off, their poor defense unfortunately isn’t.
The Portland Trail Blazers defense will needs immediate attention, currently ranked 23rd in the league, what needs to change to get them to league average on that end? This team is giving up 110 points a night, at this rate they will lose a lot more games than they win. With the offense not exactly purring they need to fix the issues on the less glamorous end of the floor if they want to be a playoff team.
Fouls
Someone needs to stand on court at Blazers training with a big stick and hit players who constantly reach in on the ball handler. Fouling incessantly has become a theme in the first two weeks of the season, resulting in the team having the second worst foul rate in the league.
Kent Bazemore has been the biggest culprit, he is ranked in the 0 percentile for his position. This means he is fouling at the highest rate among wings in the league.
Missed defensive assignments, over committing on drives or shooters while being too aggressive in the paint has led to opposition teams getting free points on a nightly basis. This has to be a massive point of focus for the rest of the season.
Second chance plays
Second chance plays are the other reason this team has a flagging defense. The percentages this team allows an opponent to shoot on threes and at the rim is actually quite good, but when the opposition get a second shot opportunity they are making the Blazers play.
In the half court this team is struggling to react by either missing box outs or not helping when the play breaks down. This is mainly on offensive rebounds and spot up shots.
Hassan Whiteside has been massive around the rim but will need to make defensive plays and be a communicator on this end. He is doing well around the rim but getting torched on the perimeter so needs to understand his coverages and stick to them like glue.
Communication needs to be a focus across the team. Younger players getting lost on coverages comes down to the senior players helping these newer or less experienced teammates to grow.
Loss of Zach Collins
The loss of Collins is a massive one for this team. Playing him at either the four or five gave him the opportunity to either help Whiteside around the rim or use his long arms to poke balls away in the paint. His defensive rebound and awareness on that end will be missed. Though it was a small sample he showed in the few games he did play how he had grown as a player with aggressive but controlled defense.
With Collins out for four months it will be tough to replace him. It may mean a trade to bring in another big if they feel they can’t do without his defensive presence.
This team has work to do on the defensive end. Underestimating weaker opponents and not communicating on defense is a no-no in this league. If they want to push for a strong regular season record this starts on the defensive end.