Key issue three – finishing at the rim
The above photo depicts an image from a previous season, as this is something we didn’t see anywhere near enough of in the 2019/20 season.
The Blazers had not one player who finished at the rim at a rate that you would consider a plus for their position. With the team’s current construct, this may be the most concerning of the issues outlined in this article.
Hassan Whiteside was the best of the lot, but he was only in the top 28 percent of the league. Whiteside is likely to be gone next season, so we won’t hold out hope for having him finish around the rim. Though this team was great at shooting threes off high pick and roll action where Lillard would get downhill and either dime a shooter up or pull up himself, maybe the offense this season needs more nuance.
Stotts may not change any of his offensive systems, as he saw Lillard have one of the greatest seasons ever by a Trail Blazer, so it maybe needs to be a personnel change instead.
If they can get an aggressive slasher who can get to the rim or attack in transition, this could slightly change the offense and get the team more easy looks.
Layups and dunks are the easiest shots in the game, and the Blazers finishing third to last in frequency, and second to last in accuracy, isn’t conducive to a playoff-contending team.
Spending the mid-level on someone who can get to the rack and finish well would round out this shooting centric team.
If the Blazers can fix one or two of these issues, they will be able to jump up the 2021 season standings.