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3 adjustments the Trail Blazers need to make to close out the season

By Austin Carroll

PORTLAND, OREGON - FEBRUARY 09: Damian Lillard #0 looks on alongside head coach Terry Stotts of the Portland Trail Blazers prior to beginning the second half against the Miami Heat during their game at Moda Center on February 09, 2020 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. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - FEBRUARY 09: Damian Lillard #0 looks on alongside head coach Terry Stotts of the Portland Trail Blazers prior to beginning the second half against the Miami Heat during their game at Moda Center on February 09, 2020 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. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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Portland Trail Blazers
(Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /

3. Stop overworking Dame and CJ

At this point in the season, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum rank 1st and 12th in total minutes played, respectively. Exhausting your stars during the regular season while contenders like the Milwaukee Bucks are pulling their starters early every game is a plan that is sure to backfire in the postseason. Those measuring sticks are even more concerning when you factor in the collective six games the duo has missed.

This is most evidently seen with regards to Lillard’s recent groin injury, a setback that will have him out of basketball operations for potentially another two to three weeks if it doesn’t rehabilitate properly. As if this 25-31 Trail Blazers squad wasn’t already struggling to inspire confidence, good luck getting behind them now that they’ll be out of an MVP candidate for a few days.

Now more than ever, this the time for Anfernee Simons to step up and become the player the organization has hailed him as. We aren’t expecting a flawless performance, but Anfernee must prove he can be that guy who can completely take over a game and will the team to victory — just like he previously did in last season’s finale as well as Summer League play.

Next. Should the Trail Blazers bring Carmelo back?. dark

While the organization should be commended for sticking to the cards time and time again over the years, things clearly aren’t working out right now. Something just has to change, right? If Portland can manage to accomplish these three (seemingly) simple tasks, I’d wager their odds of making another postseason appearance would drastically increase.