No. 3: Turning more great defense into efficient offense
During the Blazers’ most recent expedition through the Western Conference Playoffs, you might remember Damian Lillard quoting Sun Tzu’s “Art of War” parables before their first round series against the Thunder, and in how the calm, detached warrior reigns superior over the hothead.
As the 2020-21 season approaches, perhaps the Portland Trail Blazers can borrow another phrase from Sun Tzu’s timeless classic: The best offense … is a good defense.
Here’s another topic we’ve touched on, albeit briefly. On paper at least, Portland’s roster additions seem to emphasize a new defensive desire. Portland went out and added two of the best defenders in this year’s free agent class.
Common sense suggests that getting the best out of those players will require Portland to do something they’ve almost never done: attacking passing lanes.
Derrick Jones Jr. and Robert Covington will remain synonymous with one another for that very reason. We’ve talked about where they rank among the NBA in deflections, and what that can mean for their own chances to get out in transition. But what about everyone else?
The only thing more efficient than Damian Lillard in a half-court setting is Damian Lillard in transition (and likely with a numbers advantage). And that trickles down to the rest of the roster. Here, we’ll consider six among the perimeter.
Portland Trail Blazers shooting: first 9 seconds vs. last 15 seconds of shot clock
— Lillard: 280-of-545 (51.4%) — 15 seconds or less on clock: (42.8%)
— McCollum: 244-of-522 (46.7%) — 15 seconds or less on clock: (44.2%)
— Anthony: 84-of-172 (48.8%) — 15 seconds or less on clock: (41.4%)
— Trent Jr.: 63-of-127 (49.6%) —15 seconds or less on clock: (41.3%)
— Covington: 129-of-281 (45.9%) — 15 seconds or less on clock: (39.8%)
— Jones Jr.: 79-of-114 (69.2%) — 15 seconds or less on clock: (44.9%)
Of course, if the Portland Trail Blazers are getting stops, a lot of the transition points will come anyways. And this doesn’t necessarily take away some of the Blazers’ great strengths, such as their drag screens with Lillard, or off-ball play with McCollum.
It merely gives them an added dimension that keeps them from having to be so reliant on those traits as often as they do. They were middle-of-the-pack with 13.0 fast break points per game, for reference.
This isn’t to suggest that the Blazers should approach next season with the “Seven Seconds or Less” mentality of the Phoenix Suns. They’ve got talent in the frontcourt to attend to as well. But allowing the likes of Covington and Jones Jr. to attack passing lanes and create quicker opportunities unlocks new traits. And in the process, Portland becomes a more efficient offense.