Jody Allen’s penny pinching may cost the Trail Blazers another season
By Andy Quach
The Portland Trail Blazers haven’t made any headway on the defensive end of the court
Despite the coaching and roster changes, the Trail Blazers haven’t looked all that different from years past in the stat books. They’re currently fourth in the league in offensive rating at 111.6, but are giving up nearly as many points as they put up with a 111.5 defensive rating, good for 28th in the NBA.
It’s becoming clearer by the day that Portland’s struggles on the defensive end of the court go beyond the system or player discipline; they’re unfortunate by-products of the roster construction.
The Blazers have struggled immensely to guard the point of attack, allowing constant penetration, which results in either wide-open jump shots or clean looks in the paint.
Portland currently allows 46.8 points in the paint per game, 21st in the NBA. Players facing the Blazers can hope to set a new career-high in points, as Portland allows opponents to shoot 47.4 percent overall, third-worst in the league according to TeamRankings.
This all starts at the point of attack, with Portland’s backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. The two stars have struggled heavily to contain speedy opposing guards.
De’Aaron Fox has averaged 24 points and seven assists on 48 percent shooting in two games against Portland. LaMelo Ball put up 27 and added seven dimes in their one matchup so far. Collin Sexton and Darius Garland combined for 40 points on just 22 shots, and Jarrett Allen feasted on wide-open opportunities at the rim to pour in 24. Monte Morris is averaging nearly 16 against the Blazers on a sparkling 60 percent shooting.
With two small defensive sieves guarding the point of attack, Portland cannot hope to be an elite defensive team, especially with an immobile center like Jusuf Nurkic behind them.