The Portland Trail Blazers roster is unfinished as they remain in the early stages of their rebuild, with significant changes coming as soon as the Feb. 6 trade deadline. However, it is already becoming clear that GM Joe Cronin is building this team with a distinct identity centered around their length and athleticism. When fully healthy, Portland's average starting lineup height is 6-foot-8.
The formula is in place for the Blazers' young core to eventually become a strong defensive team with their switchability and key pieces like Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan to build around. One area they are surprisingly lacking in, though, is defensive rebounding.
Despite roster height, defensive rebounding remains major concern for Portland
Although they have the tallest roster, Portland ranks just 27th in the league in defensive rebounds per game at 30.4. The only three teams worse than them are Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Brooklyn.
Here are the bottom five teams in defensive rebounds per game:
Rank | Team | Defensive rebounds per game |
|---|---|---|
30 | Philadelphia 76ers | 29.4 |
29 | New Orleans Pelicans | 30.2 |
28 | Brooklyn Nets | 30.2 |
27 | Portland Trail Blazers | 30.4 |
26 | Orlando Magic | 30.7 |
With defensive rebounding being such a key component to maximizing possessions, it's no surprise the bottom four teams have just a .316 win percentage with a combined record of 42-91.
What is puzzling, however, is that the tallest roster isn't even average in this category. Adding to the confusion is how well Portland rebounds on the offensive end.
Blazers still rank top five in offensive rebounds
Here are the top five teams in offensive rebounds per game:
Rank | Team | Offensive rebounds per game |
|---|---|---|
1 | Houston Rockets | 14.2 |
2 | Golden State Warriors | 12.9 |
3 | Memphis Grizzlies | 12.9 |
4 | Charlotte Hornets | 12.9 |
5 | Portland Trail Blazers | 12.6 |
What is contributing to Portland's rebounding paradox?
One obvious contributing factor is that the opposing team is making more shots than the Blazers, meaning Portland has more opportunities to rebound its own misses than the opponents'.
Offensively, Portland ranks in the bottom five in field goal percent at 44.5. They also rank in the bottom five in defended field goal percent at 48.1. As a result, Portland is in the bottom five in defensive rebound chances (51.8) but top five in offensive rebound chances (29.8).
Something else to consider is Chauncey Billups' coaching style. The Blazers emphasize crashing the offensive glass more than getting back on defense, arguably to a fault. They are third-worst in opponent fastbreak points per game at 19.0.
It's well-known that Jerami Grant is a poor rebounder for his position, averaging just 3.6 rebounds per game despite his 6-foot-7 frame. That plays a significant role in Portland's poor defensive rebounding. But it doesn't explain the discrepancy between their offensive and defensive rebounding.
Grant has a typical defensive-to-offensive rebound ratio, averaging 3.1 defensive rebounds and 0.5 offensive rebounds per game. Portland does have a few outliers on their roster that contribute to the wide gap, though.
Clingan averages 3.3 defensive rebounds yet 2.7 offensive rebounds, the second most on the team. The third highest in offensive rebounds is Camara at 2.3, yet he only has 3.4 defensive rebounds. Camara's rebounding stats are understandable, as he's often out on the perimeter guarding the opposing team's best player, but it's an interesting nugget nonetheless.
A tall roster can be beneficial, but only if utilized effectively, including winning the rebounding battle. So, how can Portland address this glaring issue?
That question has a multi-layered answer that is part of the Blazers' more significant issues as a whole. Although it's related to rebounding, it also has to do with their roster weaknesses elsewhere. Underlying issues like poor playmaking, inconsistent shooting, and defensive lapses contribute to their wide gap between offensive and defensive rebounds compared to the rest of the league.