Piling up these losses certainly stings, but it won’t be much longer until the main roster reassembles and we see Rip City’s stars back in action.
For a team that hasn’t missed the playoffs since 2013, the impending reality that this may not be their year can be hard to come to grips with. On nights like Tuesday — where the Boston Celtics defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 118-106 and pushed Rip City down to three games behind the eighth seed — swallowing that pill becomes even more difficult.
But consider for a moment the notion that Portland has been missing 80 percent of their intended starting lineup for a very large portion of the season, and they’re still within striking distance of the playoffs. If that’s not a testament to the willpower of this Trail Blazers team, I’m not sure what is.
Alas, these are only temporary setbacks. There will come a day when the roster is fully healthy and we finally get to see what this team looks like when firing on all cylinders.
In fact, Jason Quick of The Athletic reports that it may not be much longer until Damian Lillard sees the court again.
Source says Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard will make 3-game trip to Indiana, Atlanta and Orlando but is expected to miss "a couple more games" with right groin strain.
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) February 26, 2020
This news is directly in line with Casey Holdahl’s original report that Lillard personally expected to miss three to four games total.
Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers have been very discreet in the recovery process of Jusuf Nurkic — and for good reason. Rehabilitating such a significant injury can make accurately predicting recovery timelines nearly impossible. By shrouding his return in secrecy, the organization has effectively helped push the narrative away from what the team is missing, and towards what they currently have on their hands.
That being said, his return is imminent. With Lillard and Nurkic both back on the court, this team will feel revitalized and only improve further as Zach Collins returns to basketball operations. Despite all these losses to a decimated frontcourt and a weak wing rotation without the sharpshooting Rodney Hood, Portland has managed to find silver lining after silver lining.
Hassan Whiteside, Carmelo Anthony, and Trevor Ariza have all proven to still be skilled basketball players even after the rest of the league cast them out. Gary Trent Jr. has stepped out of thin air to become a game-changer, while Anfernee Simons has displayed flashes of being capable of taking over a close contest at any given moment.
This ragtag team of x-factors has understandably struggled to establish consistency. However, when the starting lineup returns to the fold these players will be able to settle comfortably into their niche role and further help the Trail Blazers reach their full potential.
I wouldn’t blame you in the slightest if this injury-riddled 26-33 season has left you feeling disgruntled as a fan. But there is a light at the end of this tunnel, and I’m not ready to throw in the towel on this team just yet.