There's been so much chatter about the evolving player archetypes in the modern NBA and whether teams' ceilings are limited by undersized, offensive-minded stars like Jalen Brunson, Damian Lillard, and others. Considering Brunson just carried the New York Knicks to the Finals in dominating fashion, the blueprint is there.
Though Lillard is back in Portland, he's no longer the same superstar he once was in his prime, especially since it remains to be seen how he will be coming off a brutal Achilles' tear this late into his career. Portland had its chance to build a contender around Lillard during his first stint but repeatedly failed to do so, leading to his trade request despite his admirable loyalty.
Damian Lillard could've led Blazers to a ring
Looking at past Finals MVPs, it's clear that forwards still dominate the NBA. But this Knicks run, led by Brunson, shows that it's at least possible for a Lillard-led team to have that contender ceiling.
The Blazers finally have the right pieces around Lillard to make that deep playoff run. The versatile two-way wings in Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija, and the dominant rim protector in Donovan Clingan. Especially with the two-way wings, they are built similarly to the Knicks, designed to cover up for Brunson's limitations on the defensive end.
That would have been the perfect formula had this been a decade ago. Now, the Blazers' offense is built around their newest All-Star, Avdija, as their point forward. Portland can no longer follow this contender blueprint around Lillard. He may be a co-star alongside Avdija next season, but Portland shouldn't rely on him returning at that level. He needs to be viewed as a luxury rather than a necessity, whereas Brunson has made a compelling case as a top 10 player in the league throughout this playoff run.
Blazers failed to surround Lillard with the right pieces
We previously compared the Cleveland Cavaliers' shortcomings to the Blazers' old backcourt duo of Lillard and CJ McCollum. Cleveland has a regular-season blueprint in which Donovan Mitchell and James Harden can lead the way with their offensive star power. But there's a reason New York swept Cleveland, and it lies in the Knicks ability to better cover for Brunson defensively. Harden was continually hunted by Brunson throughout the series, looking like a bearded traffic cone.
New York has enough length and versatility on the wings in OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart to be a better-balanced two-way team. Portland was missing that positional size, versatility, and overall physicality during the Lillard era, which was a postseason recipe for disaster. Lillard was able to carry them for a few series based on his star power, but this Knicks run should prove that he was never the problem. It was always their failure to surround him with the complementary pieces.
Fortunately, they are better equipped to cover for Lillard now, largely thanks to the pieces they received in the trade that sent him away in the first place. But it's likely too little too late, as this is no longer a team built around the offensive-minded star.
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