The Portland Trail Blazers have been one of the hottest teams in the league through the first week or so of the new season. Portland is 3-0 on the year, and the guys have been gelling super well. Everyone has been red-hot from deep range – but that’s exactly what the Blazers need to account for. They need a plan for when the threes stop falling.
In his first three appearances, Ja Morant has shot 44.4% from deep on 3.0 attempts per contest. Meanwhile, Damian Lillard is shooting 42.9% from distance. Lillard is an elite shooter, but that would be a wild pace to sustain. And Morant has never even shot above 35% from deep in a single season.
It seems inevitable that there will be at least some sort of comedown for those two guys, and when it happens, the Blazers need to be ready with a backup plan.
Portland's threes won't go in forever
Morant and Lillard aren’t the only guys on the Blazers shooting exceptionally well from three-point land so far this season. Most of the top guys on the roster have been on fire to begin the year.
Deni Avdija is shooting 43.8% on 5.3 three-point attempts. Toumani Camara is at 59.1% on 7.3 threes a night. And even Donovan Clingan is shooting well, clocking in at 66.7% on 2.0 attempts per game.
All of those guys seem destined to calm down at least a little bit. Camara just isn’t going to shoot 59% from three-point land the entire season. If he does, it would be the best shooting season in NBA history.
So, what happens when the threes don’t fall? What happens when Morant, Lillard, and everyone else eventually come down from their three-point high? A high that has lifted them to a 3-0 start to the year?
Well, the defensive trio of Jrue Holiday, Camara, and Clingan should help. Portland can lock in on that side of the ball. (Robert Williams III will help in that regard, too.)
Morant is also great at getting downhill. He can make plays, get to the cup, and give the Blazers an extra level of dynamism outside of the three-ball. Lillard has that in his bag to some degree, too.
And then, there’s obviously Avdija. He’s elite at driving the ball. He’s great at drawing fouls, so the Blazers will have that as a major source of offense, too.
Portland will be just fine. The Blazers have a very talented roster that can do way more than just chuck up threes and hope they go in. But the threes have been going in.
So, the Blazers just have to be prepared for when they don’t.
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