Portland Trail Blazers: Setting expectations for the 2021 NBA season

The Portland Trail Blazers will bring back 3 key players from injury in 2021. What should we expect from the team in the upcoming season?

The Portland Trail Blazers will welcome back Jusuf Nurkic, Zach Collins, and Rodney Hood from injury in the 2021 season. They will also get a full season out of breakout wing Gary Trent Jr.

After a tough but exciting 2020 season, the Blazers are ready to take a significant step forward in 2021.

What should we expect from this Portland Trail Blazers team in 2021?

Better Health

There is no way that the Blazers will have the same bad luck with injuries in the 2021 season. Not only did they have the two season-ending injuries of Hood and Collins, but CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard both missed stretches of games too.

Nurkic was already going to be out for the whole season, so to have the rest of your frontcourt go down within the first month of the season, was a devastating blow.

In 2021, we can expect better health. Nurkic is back and has lost weight to make things easier for his body. Collins had surgery to clear the long-standing issues with his foot. Hood had a freak injury in 2019 and may have some long-term concerns, but he will be back fit for the start of 2021.

Lillard missed 9 games last season, going home in the playoffs as the Lakers bowed out in a four games to one gentleman sweep. This was the first playoff game he had ever missed.

We can expect better health in 2021.

Better Defense

When looking at the Blazers defense, the first thing to note is that it can’t be any worse next year. Last season, they ranked a terrible 27th on that end.

Firstly, with Nurkic back, that mark will improve right away. Adding Ariza ( who will presumably have his contract fully guaranteed in the off-season ) will also make a difference. Then adding Collins, while having a full season of Trent playing 30 minutes a night will mean the team defense will be markedly better.

Though there are reservations about Terry Stotts defensive schemes, the above personnel gives him some better horses to run with. I’m confident that Collins and Nurkic, with full seasons of Ariza and Trent, will get this team to around 15th on the defensive end. I expect the Blazers to have a league-average defense in the 2021 season.

A top-five offense

This may be what I’m most confident about for 2021. In Lillard and McCollum, the Blazers have two of the greatest small guard shot creators in NBA history. When you add Jusuf Nurkic’s passing and Trent’s shooting, this is one of the NBA’s most potent offenses.

The Blazers had the third-best offense in 2020 even though their starting three, four, and five missed a whopping 182 combined games. Again, when you add these three back in, plus full seasons of Ariza and Trent, the Blazers are easily top five again. It wouldn’t surprise me if this were a top-three offense in 2021.

Season finish

I expect this Blazer team to win 50 games in the regular season and then make the conference semi-finals. As currently constructed, with their draft pick thrown in the mix, they are as good as the LA Clippers, so there is no reason they couldn’t upset a team like this and make the conference finals. The Los Angeles Lakers are probably a bridge too far, but with a fit Damian Lillard playing at an MVP level, this team will reach new heights in 2021.

Lillard averaging 30 points a game on 40 percent shooting from three, showed how he now belongs firmly in the NBA’s elite.

Blazer fans can be excited about what should be one of the strongest seasons in recent memory. With a fit squad and a transcendent talent in Lillard, this will be a great season.