Portland Trail Blazers: One statistic to define each players 2019/20 season

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PORTLAND, OREGON – MARCH 10: Trevor Ariza #8 of the Portland Trail Blazers warms up before the game against the Phoenix Suns at the Moda Center on March 10, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. The Portland Trail Blazers topped the Phoenix Suns, 121-105. 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 Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /

No. 3: Trevor Ariza

The stat: Ariza ranks in the 95th percentile in points per touch

Don’t mistake me for a statistics guru, but when the Portland Trail Blazers unloaded key rotational pieces to acquire Trevor Ariza in Sacramento, I, like many others, knew exactly what to expect. You don’t last 15 years, playing your entire adulthood in the NBA without an identity, and Ariza has been carving that out, probably before TVs had high-definition.

Rough-and-tumble defense on opposing perimeter players, the penchant for the “extra pass,” — something the 1.7 assists will never accurately quantify — and lights out shooting from around the arc.

Ariza’s season-to-season percentages tell the story of a player whose been around. He’s probably one of the only players with multiple seasons shooting under 40 percent, and multiple ones shooting over 50 percent as well. Different roles, systems, and even eras will do that. This year, though, he’s shooting, arguably at least, better than he ever has.

Portland’s offensive heart still beats to the pulse of its backcourt creators. The Blazers still dribble more than any team in the NBA — they rank No. 1 in dribbles per touch and average seasons per touch — and it works. They rank No. 2 in points. But in those situations where Lillard and McCollum get downhill and draw in help, having marksmen among the corners is the best means of neutralizing.

And that’s when Ariza has his dance.

On a team with four players averaging 15 or more, attempts aren’t plentiful for Ariza, but when he gets them, he makes them count. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Blazers score 129.4 points per 100 possessions when Ariza touches the ball.

In simpler terms, on those plays where Ariza catches, and lets it fly, which is the case more than half the time, he’s 40.8 percent from deep and 73.7 percent from inside the arc. Purists may never come up with the perfect way to quantify this, but mastering the mindset of staying in the game as a role player, while also making life easier on the stars is an art. And you can see Ariza’s canvas on display night-to-night during Portland games.