Portland Trail Blazers: The best (and worst) clutch scorers in the analytics era

And that’s the list. But, there are a few other thoughts worth tackling while the subject’s hot.

Here were some of the noteworthy “worst” clutch shooting seasons by Portland Trail Blazers’ players:

— 2014-15 Wesley Matthews — 5-of-29 FG, 2-of-22 3P, 5-of-7 FT
— 2014-15 Damian Lillard — 19-of-62 FG, 7-of-27 3P, 25-of-32 FT
— 2011-12 Raymond Felton — 7-of-23 FG, 3-of-12 3P, 12-of-15 FT
— 2011-12 Jamal Crawford — 11-of-34 FG, 1-of-11 3P, 13-of-15 FT
— 2008-09 LaMarcus Aldridge — 10-of-38 FG, 0-of-2 3P, 4-of-8 FT
— 2009-10 Andre Miller — 7-of-29 FG, 0-of-7 3P, 35-of-41 FT
— 2009-10 Jerryd Bayless — 3-of-14 FG, 1-of-5 3P, 16-of-21 FT
— 2009-10 Steve Blake — 2-of-13 FG, 2-of-12 3P, 5-of-5 FT
— 2005-06 Sebastian Telfair — 3-of-13 FG, 0-of-1 3P, 2-of-2 FT
— 2004-05 Damon Stoudamire — 12-of-44 FG, 5-of-23 3P, 16-of-17 FT
— 2003-04 Rasheed Wallace — 9-of-33 FG, 1-of-9 3P, 6-of-7 FT
— 2002-03 Scottie Pippen — 7-of-32 FG, 0-of-11 3P, 19-of-21 FT

Context is always important in these situations. A lot of these players either had redemption seasons in Portland, or did so in a different setting. Just as likely, they simply had a down season, which is the case for any NBA player. Still, in compiling this list, these were some of the lesser-efficient seasons that came about.

And, here are some of the best ones:

— 2017-18 CJ McCollum — 17-of-38 FG, 7-of-13 3P, 9-of-13 FT
— 2016-17 CJ McCollum — 32-of-67 FG, 8-of-19 3P, 25-of-27 FT
— 2014-15 LaMarcus Aldridge — 30-of-51 FG, 0-of-2 3P, 22-of-24 FT
— 2013-14 Damian Lillard — 29-of-64 FG, 11-of-28 3P, 34-of-40 FT
— 2011-12 Wesley Matthews — 10-of-23 FG, 5-of-12 3P, 10-of-14 FT
— 2010-11 Andre Miller — 18-of-41 FG, 2-of-7 3P, 26-of-30 FT
— 2008-09 Brandon Roy — 30-of-67 FG, 3-of-12 3P, 31-of-33 FT
— 2007-08 Travis Outlaw — 19-of-38 FG, 2-of-2 3P, 24-of-29 FT
— 2006-07 Brandon Roy — 24-of-54 FG, 5-of-14 3P, 21-of-23 FT
— 2006-07 Jarrett Jack — 17-of-33 FG, 3-of-9 3P, 35-of-40 FT
— 2003-04 Zach Randolph — 24-of-43 FG, 0-of-0 3P, 22-of-27 FT
— 2002-03 Derek Anderson — 17-of-37 FG, 4-of-11 3P, 24-of-29 FT
— 2001-02 Bonzi Wells — 20-of-31 FG, 6-of-8 3P, 6-of-12 FT
— 2000-01 Rasheed Wallace — 19-of-36 FG, 3-of-8 3P, 11-of-16 FT

(Also, a quick shoutout to Scottie Pippen, Maurice Harkless and Darius Miles, who had some very impressive clutch seasons for the Portland Trail Blazers, but on lower volume than some of the aforementioned players.)

Beyond all of that, there’s somewhat of a great unknown. If tracking data were available in the early-1990s, there’s a chance Terry Porter cracks this list with Lillard-like ease. To a lower extent, the same could be said for perhaps Clyde Drexler and Bill Walton. Those players deserve a mention, even if they can’t crack this list. And on that note, the defense — or rather clutch offense — rests its case.