The Portland Trail Blazers have had a rough season, but it’s not all doom and gloom. Which 3 things should we be grateful for this year?
The Portland Trail Blazers have had a tough season, that’s a fact. But that’s not a reason to abandon hope. Still only a few games out of the playoffs, there is plenty going on with this team that we can be grateful for. Blazer fans should try to be a bit more positive at the All-star break by focussing on the things that are going well.
Promising young core
Some teams have been rebuilding for multiple years, while being out of the playoffs and not having the exciting young pieces that the Blazers do. The Cleveland Cavaliers for example, are into the second year of their rebuild and are none the wiser on their two lottery-pick guards.
The Blazers have multiple young players though that can be starters on good teams in the future.
Zach Collins is a two-way big who at 22 has a bright future. He can block shots and shoot the three, while standing seven-feet-tall. Though he’s been injured this year he looks to be a starting calibre power-forward for the future. If he is able to continue adding weight to his frame then he could be a starting center potentially too.
Anfernee Simons, though still only 20 years old, has shown a knack for knocking down big shots. In his second year, the six-foot-three guard has tripled his minutes per game from last year while also playing in 55 games. His ability to hit the long ball while getting to the rim with crazy bounce has a lot of fans excited for his future. Though his shooting has cooled off in the last 20 games he is only young and has been asked to do a lot more than he expected at the start of the year.
Nassir Little was drafted with the 25th pick this year and has shown glimpses of élite athletic ability combined with defense and rebounding. Only turned 20 before the All-star break, Little actually lead the entire league for offensive rebounding rate as a wing earlier in the year. Still in the top three now, Little has played between the three and four and acquitted himself when called upon. The injuries this team has suffered meant he played between 12 and 17 minutes some months. Like Simons, he wasn’t expecting to play so much, but has been impressive in limited bursts regardless.
Gary Trent Jr has probably been the surprise package of the season so far. Only playing in garbage time to start the year, the second year guard out of Duke has broken out in the new year. Shooting 40 percent from three this season, he leads the Trail Blazers in three-point shooting. Not only has he averaged 12 points a game in February but he has played great defense in the stretch where they beat some of the best teams in the league.
Trent was picked in the second round last year and is looking like a steal at this point in time.
Damian Lillard
You couldn’t make a list of things to be grateful for without including Damian Lillard. Dame is having the best year of his career and just came off one of the greatest offensive scoring runs in NBA history. Dame is shooting a career high from three at 39 percent, while also having a career high in effective field goal percentage at around 55 percent.
Averaging 34 and then 30 points a game in January and then February, Dame is without a doubt at the peak of his powers. His 29 points a game are a career high too, and along with James Harden he is one of the two best guards in the NBA.
Unfortunately a minor groin injury means he is out for one – two weeks, but because this occurred just before the break, he may only miss a week of games.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Dame willed this team to the playoffs after the break, he is far too competitive to have his team in the lottery.
Second tier talent is strong
The second tier of talent behind Dame on this team is strong. In CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic this team has great 1A and 1B options. CJ has had another consistent year, highlighted by a career high in made threes and some strong games as the number two guy to Dame. He has struggled with an injury recently and had a slow start to the year, but we know what CJ is capable of. He always steps up when he is needed most.
The return of Nurkic in the next few weeks will be huge for this team. One of the best centers in the league, he will anchor a defense that is protecting the rim well but not doing a lot else. One of the best rebounders in the league, Nurk is also great at boxing out. His great hands have been missed as this Blazers team have struggled to get deflections all year.
Nurk’s versatility is also an asset to this team. One of the best big man passers in the league, they have missed him on offense too. His ability to link with teammates and then set great screens was the one of the primary reasons this team thrived in the 2018/19 season.
The secondary pieces behind Dame are strong enough to get this team to the playoffs. With the way Dame has been playing in the new year, anything is possible come playoff time. The Los Angeles Lakers may seem like they are infallible but we all know it only takes one injury to change a teams hopes.
In the event this team doesn’t make the playoffs, it still has the makings of a strong playoff contender in 2021. Being a Blazers fan isn’t that bad! There is plenty to be positive about with this team, we just need to be patient and see this team healthy.