Are the Trail Blazers still championship contenders?

After a rough start to the season, many Portland fans are left wondering what the team is capable of. The answer: The Trail Blazers are still contenders. 

As basketball fans, we are often too quick to overreaction and too impatient to wait for development. According to Twitter, I’ve seen some people already name the Lakers as the 2020 NBA champs. Let’s all take a chill pill. Blazers fans, close out of the ESPN trade machine tab on your computer. Sit back and relax, because the Blazers season has just tipped off and the field is wide open. A slow start does not mean a team is doomed for failure, because actually, this years Portland Trail Blazers are still a contender.

We shouldn’t sugarcoat it though, the Blazers have looked more than lousy to start the season. Clearly, the team has yet to find a rhythm on either side of the ball. Offensively, the Blazers are struggling to knock down shots and move the ball effectively. Defensively, they are a vulnerable mess and teams are taking advantage, yet this team still can’t be counted out.

The high-powered Trail Blazers offense that we once knew and loved is gone (or at least has yet to show itself this season). So far, the Blazers rank in the bottom half of the league in field goal percentage. Basically, the team is just flat out missing shots. The Blazers come in at 15th in the league in Offensive Rating. Last season, the Blazers finished third in the league in that same category. Right now, the offense is hovering right around the league average; a place where no contender wants to be.

The offensive statistical woes don’t end there. In large part, the lack of effective and efficient scoring comes due to the absence of assists. The Trail Blazers are dead last in the league in assists, meaning they are struggling to find open players to knock down shots. Many of the points are being scored in isolation situations which, historically, are much less efficient and place a heavier burden on the players who are capable of scoring in that role.

Even CJ McCollum has had a start to forget. He is shooting an eye-catching six percent worse from the field than last year, and is now at a career low field goal percentage and a career low in three-point percentage. However, McCollum’s early shooting struggles are nowhere to be found on the Blazers list of larger concerns.

The Trail Blazers offense is surely below expectation, but defensively, things are much worse. The Blazers rank 19th in defensive rating, another drop off from last season. For perspective, last years Toronto Raptors finished top five in both offensive and defensive rating. Consequently, they won the championship. As of now, the Blazers are not top 15 in either.

Further, the Blazers are allowing opponents to shoot nearly 45 percent on three pointers in the Moda Center. And to top it all off, the Trail Blazers are 24th in the league in steals. The point is, the defense is off to an abysmal start, and without improvement, this team cannot be seen as a viable threat to compete for a championship among the number of great teams in the Western Conference.

If you were to focus solely on the statistics, the numbers tell you this Blazers team is not a championship contender, let alone a good team. However, falling into the trap of reliance on the analytics would be naive. Any team led by Damian Lillard has a shot of overcoming the odds. Plus, it is WAY too early in the season for the statistics and analytics to mean anything. This team is capable of turning it around at any moment and when they do… watch out.

Damian Lillard is currently averaging 30 points per game on just a tick below 50/40/90 shooting splits. Through the first few weeks of the season, Dame is posting career highs in points, rebounds, and assists. He is playing on an MVP level, and is without doubt the leader who will push the team to reach their full potential.

The Blazers have some bright spots, and as the teams moves forward, even more development, chemistry, and improvement should be expected. This team is going to get better. Hassan Whiteside‘s inconsistencies can be curbed. His better halves have given glimpses of dominance. Rodney Hood is shooting a phenomenal 48.4 percent from beyond the three-point line and Anfernee Simons is proving to be a gem. Simons has become the offensive spark-plug off the bench that the team lacked last year.

Additionally, we know the current roster is certainly not going to be the Blazers final roster. Come February, adding Jusuf Nurkic back into the mix will be a massive gain. Plus, the Blazers are surely among the teams who will be participating heavily in the trade market. If the Blazers are able to make a deal for a power forward or a defensive minded wing, the Blazers are right back in the middle of contention among the elite teams in the Western Conference.

The Trail Blazers concerning slow start should really be of no concern. It’s early in the season, and this team is still built to compete. If all the pieces start to fall in place and the Blazers find their groove, this is not a team to be counted out. The Blazers are still championship contenders.

(All statistics from NBA.com/Stats)