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Trail Blazers: We shouldn’t be concerned about the direction of this team

By Stevie Cozens

PORTLAND, OR - DECEMBER 10: Head Coach Terry Stotts and Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers talk to each other during the game against the New York Knicks on December 10, 2019 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - DECEMBER 10: Head Coach Terry Stotts and Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers talk to each other during the game against the New York Knicks on December 10, 2019 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Trail Blazers are going through a particularly difficult season so far. We shouldn’t be concerned about the long-term future of this team though.

The Trail Blazers are having a rough season, there’s no denying that. New personnel that have been asked to do a lot more than expected, and a lack of wing defenders and bench production. Also first and second year players who are playing major rotation roles that weren’t expected to play much of a role.

The Blazers poor record can’t be blamed on injuries alone. A lack of defensive personnel on what was already an undersized team means that they rank so poorly defensively, while struggling to rebound also.

After last season when Meyers Leonard and Maurice Harkless were traded for Hassan Whiteside, the teams defensive identity lay primarily with Zach Collins and to a lesser extent Whiteside and Kent Bazemore. The injury to Collins in the first week of the season was devastating to this team, especially on the defensive end.

When Rodney Hood then went down before Christmas this team lost a lot of its efficient scoring. Hood was having a career year from all areas of the court.

These injuries shouldn’t impact the long-term direction of the team though. Hood and Collins, in combination with a returning Nurkic and then the guard duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, is a top five offense in the league.

Defensively they wouldn’t force a lot of turnovers, but they would protect the rim and rebound well. Nurkic and Collins would be massive under the rim and would provide a ‘ twin-tower ‘ presence that can pass well and space the floor between them.

The hardest thing for Blazers fans to stomach is the fact we may miss the playoffs this year. People think that just because we have Lillard and McCollum that we should be in playoff contention. Lillard and McCollum’s issue though is that they are small guards.

They can’t compete with the best players defensively, and when there aren’t other defensive minded players on the floor, this team has struggles on the defensive end. They may still make the playoffs this season. But being undersized means that rebounding will always be a problem.

Carmelo Anthony has saved this team from embarrassment with his excellent value signing. But the pairing of him and Whiteside means this team gets torched anytime they have to switch out to the perimeter. Mobility is so important in combination with size, and this is where the presence of Collins is so sorely missed.

We aren’t saying that we should forget about this season. But Neil Olshey and co have been very clear that they aren’t sacrificing the long-term future of this team for some short-term gain. That isn’t the way this franchise works.

While Lillard and McCollum are still in their primes, Olshey and his front office buddies will do their best to surround these guys with talent. Injuries are out of their control, so don’t be surprised if this team loses a lot of games if they don’t have the appropriate people.

Next. 4 players most likely to be moved before trade deadline. dark

They could still make the playoffs this year. With the expiring contracts of Whiteside and Bazemore on the books, they could make a move that works for the future as well as right now. But if they decide to stand pat, then it’s because they have a vision for the squad members we already have.

This front office has mostly made the right decisions year in and year out, so let’s put some trust in them now to make the right moves this season.