Blazers' unaddressed shooting issues
The Blazers clearly missed Damian Lillard's shooting last season, finishing with the league's worst three-point accuracy at 34.5 percent. That percentage could improve slightly next season. They are much healthier and could benefit from their young players taking another step in their development as they gain more experience.
Scoot connected on 32.5 percent of his threes, and Shaedon Sharpe wasn't much better, at 33.3 percent. Sharpe only played 32 games due to a core muscle injury, so his shooting didn't skew their team percentage as much. But he should play a role in the Blazers' improved percentage as he likely will finish his third season closer to his 36 percent from his rookie year. Still, even if the Blazers make a slight improvement, they will finish toward the bottom of the league in an essential category yet again.
To make matters worse, Brogdon was their most efficient three-point shooter last season at 41.2 percent. Newly acquired Avdija had a career-best season as a shooter, connecting on a promising 37.4 percent of his three-point attempts. But that was a significant increase from 29.7 percent the year prior, so it's fair to question whether Avdija's shooting is here to stay or if it will be consistent enough to be relied on as a vital part of the Blazers' offense.
Portland's options to address their shooting need this offseason were somewhat limited regarding financial flexibility and roster space. But if they really wanted to be competitive this upcoming season, they would have found a way to add more shooting, which is such a premium in today's NBA. Take the NBA champion Boston Celtics, for instance; five out of six of their core players shot 37.5 percent or better from deep.
It's challenging to guard teams that have shooting from all five positions, but the Blazers are one of the furthest teams away from getting to that point. Instead, they are discussing experimenting with a "Twin Towers" lineup of Ayton and Clingan, with neither center being a consistent three-point threat (although Clingan does show potential in that department). Until they address this glaring need, it's apparent that Portland has no desire to be competitive.