Rip City Project
Fansided

Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from the season-opening loss to the Utah Jazz

By Marlow Ferguson Jr.

PORTLAND, OREGON - DECEMBER 23: Rudy Gobert #27 and Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz high five in front of Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers after a foul during the second quarter at Moda Center on December 23, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. 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 Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - DECEMBER 23: Rudy Gobert #27 and Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz high five in front of Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers after a foul during the second quarter at Moda Center on December 23, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. 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 Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers (Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports) /

No. 3: What will Stotts’ chess move be for the Lillard trap situation?

By now, you’ve likely heard: Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard was held scoreless for the first time since November of 2018.

The Utah Jazz followed some of the patterns that we’ve seen work in the past — full-on pick-and-roll traps to force the ball out of Lillard’s hands, rarely allowing him to get downhill, as well as the occasional meeting at half court.

Along with the question of if more teams will be this aggressive from the start, one also has to wonder: how will the Blazers counter this in future games?

The Blazers showed some versatility in regards to who brought the ball up floor, even using Anthony a ton for that second unit. So, I for one loved the idea of using CJ McCollum to bring it up for, and allowing Damian Lillard a chance to work off screens from Jusuf Nurkic.

It didn’t materialize for long, but it’s something that you probably want to see going forward. We know what he can do as the NBA’s best pick-and-roll scorer. But we’re talking about a player who also ranked in the 64th percentile on the rare occasions that he did go off-screen and the 87th percentile in spot-ups.

So, why not put it to use?

We’ve seen Portland use everything from zipper cuts to guard-on-guard screens to get McCollum open. Given Lillard’s commanded attention, it’s probably a little tougher to get those opportunities with him. But it couldn’t have hurt to try a bit more.

What’s perhaps most concerning is just how unprepared the Trail Blazers were for it, especially since we’ve seen teams go to it in Playoff games.

The whole point of the hard hedge, as a defense, is to cause some hesitation and limit penetration and offensive opportunities for that playmaker. Utah did an excellent job of that, as past teams have done.

Not only could Portland not create despite the attention Lillard drew, but Lillard never got into a rhythm when looks did get a little easier.

All told, Lillard missed some shots that we’ve seen him hit before. But by the second half, it felt Portland was pressing to get him involved.

Don’t expect Lillard to score in single-digits or shoot 4-of-12 in successive games. But Portland will have some work to do to get him involved.

Next. Trail Blazers: 3 players that are most likely to be traded. dark