The Portland Trail Blazers lost their preseason opener to the Golden State Warriors with a final score of 129-123. Don't let the high-scoring nature of the game deceive you: the Blazers can't shoot. Portland connected on 16-of-48 (33.3%) of its attempts from beyond the arc, which was ultimately the difference in the game as Golden State shot 19-of-45 (42.2%).
Unfortunately, this first game of the preseason was just a sign of things to come, as there will be several instances throughout the season of Portland losing games because they lost the three-point battle.
Three-point shooting remains Portland's kryptonite
The Blazers have ranked in the bottom five in three-point efficiency the past two seasons. Not only did they not address this glaring issue this offseason, but they also got worse in that department, moving on from sharpshooter Anfernee Simons.
Last season, the Phoenix Suns were the only team to rank in the top ten in efficiency to miss the postseason. Shooting is a premium in today's NBA, and the Blazers are fighting an uphill battle without it.
To a certain extent, they should compensate for some of those concerns with their elite defense. However, as this preseason game showed, games in the Western Conference can quickly turn into track meets. Golden State was able to overcome a 16-point deficit at halftime because its roster is better equipped to handle this up-and-down style of play.
Chauncey Billups has said that he wants the Blazers to increase their pace of play this season, which should play to the strengths of their youth and athleticism. But to fully optimize their roster, Portland must add more shooting.
Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, and Scoot Henderson are all at their best when they are attacking downhill and would benefit from having more floor spacing to keep defenses honest. Yang Hansen has drawn comparisons to Alperen Sengun in terms of his ceiling, but Portland actually needs to have shooters for him to kick out to from the post in order to utilize his rare passing ability.
This may be a sample size of one preseason game, but it's actually a much larger issue that has been years in the making. Ever since Damian Lillard initially left Portland, the Blazers haven't done a great job of prioritizing shooting, particularly in the draft. Their most recent first-round picks have been Sharpe, Henderson, Kris Murray, Donovan Clingan, and now Hansen. They are all below-average shooters for their position, although Sharpe has shown promising signs of improving from the 31% he shot from deep last year.
Portland has doubled down on its defensive identity, but in the process, it lost sight of the importance of the three-ball in the modern NBA. That oversight could be the very thing that prevents them from ending a four-year postseason drought, and it's going to continue to be a problem until they explore external solutions.