For right now, Trevor Ariza is the perfect wing for the Portland Trail Blazers

Trevor Ariza came in at the perfect time for the Portland Trail Blazers. How is he exactly what this team needs right now?

Trevor Ariza was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers from the Sacramento Kings in January for Kent Bazemore. A move that was criticized at the time, it seem like Bazemore is playing better for the Kings, while Ariza has been great for the Blazers. How does he fit this team so well, and why should he probably be brought back next year?

Ariza is your classic NBA veteran. He has spent 16 seasons in the league on nine different teams. He has won a title with the Los Angeles Lakers and been part of some of the greatest NBA offenses of all-time with the Houston Rockets. He has seen some stuff in his time in the league, and this experience has directly benefited the Blazers this year.

Toughness on the defensive end doesn’t just happen. Players like Marcus Smart and Patrick Beverley don’t grow on trees. Like Ariza, they have the ‘ give nothing ‘ to the opposition attitude. This doesn’t just mean when defending people, but diving for looseballs, standing up for teammates, and just going the extra mile to do the dirty work on their team.

After the All-star break in a matchup with the Atlanta Hawks, Trae Young tried dribbling the ball between Ariza’s legs. Ariza was having none of this tomfoolery. He stopped the play by shoving Young and throwing a few words his way. Regardless of if you think this is the right way to approach a play like this or not, Ariza made it pretty clear what he will and won’t tolerate on the court.

This type of old school mentality lends itself well to this Trail Blazers team who are trying to develop some semblance of a defensive identity. In 16 years, this team has only had a top-ten defense twice. Ariza won’t be able to make this difference on his own, but it’s no coincidence that we’ve seen Gary Trent Jr make a big jump on defense since Ariza has been in town.

Diving a bit deeper on Ariza’s defense, he has one of the league’s best on / off defensive ratings in his 15 games with the Blazers. The Blazers defense is 9.7 points per 100 possessions better when he is on the floor. An astounding mark.

With the lack of wing options, Ariza makes such a massive difference on that end. He doesn’t foul often, being especially patient when it comes to committing shooting fouls. He forces turnovers a lot, and he is a great rebounder. All those combined with his strong help defense and good man defense, mean this team is a lot better when he is on the floor.

Offensively he is also playing some of the best basketball of his career. He is having one of the best scoring seasons of his career based on per minute production, while his efficiency is very impressive also. His shooting splits of 60 percent from two, 39 percent from three and 87 percent from the line are by far the best on this team, even if the sample is small.

Though he is 34, Ariza still knows how to attack the rim and use his long arms and strides to get all the way to the cup. He is strong while also being smart, and this helps him make the right decisions on offense.

It’s probably surprising to some fans to see how efficient Ariza has been on both ends when most of the other Blazers are struggling. But positional size is such an important tool in today’s NBA. If you are six-foot-eight and can get to the rim and shoot the three, you have a massive advantage over smaller guys if you play the three.

Ariza is obviously 34, but with the way he’s played so far this season it’s looking like he will be worth bringing back next season. With this team being in win now mode, he is the perfect piece right now, to complement Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.

The contact situation is obviously a different kettle of fish, but if they bring him back for at least another year, he will add value to this team.