Injuries and roster turnover set the Portland Trail Blazers up for a disappointing season. On the court, turnovers and a lack of shooting have marred the Blazers’ play.
However, the team may have turned a corner after losing to the Phoenix Suns on Nov. 21, the last loss of its eight-game losing streak. Since then, the Blazers have won three of six, including back-to-back road wins at Indiana and Cleveland, and held leads for significant portions of the games they lost.
Portland's struggles have a clear diagnosis: The team is last in offensive rating, last in assist-to-turnover ratio and second-to-last in true shooting percentage. Analyzing recent improvements in the team’s play reveals some positive developments that may have been bubbling beneath the surface of the ugly eight-game losing streak.
Here are three sneaky bright spots from the Blazers’ recent play that should offer fans some reason for optimism.
The Portland Trail Blazers’ active defense
On Nov. 30, Portland secured a convincing road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The driving factor behind the win probably seemed unfamiliar to fans: the Blazers’ stifling defense.
From the tip-off, the rhythm of the contest felt disjointed and erratic, characterized by errant passes and out-of-control dribbling. As the Blazers’ offense—led by Shaedon Sharpe’s 29-point double-double—found a groove in the third quarter, the Cavaliers’ offense remained disjointed.
Uncharacteristic sloppiness likely played a role, but the disruptiveness of the Blazers’ length and defensive activity stood out.
Between Matisse Thybulle, Toumani Camara and Jerami Grant, the Blazers’ perimeter defenders shrank the floor, closing off driving lanes and limiting passing angles. Deandre Ayton’s presence as a rim protector and Duop Reath’s mobility served as useful deterrents around the paint. Constant deflections kept the Cavaliers’ offense off-kilter.
Portland’s disruptive defense against Cleveland was not an anomaly. The Blazers rank second in deflections this season. They're 11th in defensive rating, and over their past six games, the Blazers boast the third-best defensive rating in the league.
When you isolate for half-court possessions, the team's defensive performance appears even more impressive. The Blazers held the eighth-best half-court defense in the league on Dec. 4, anchored by frequent and effective switching, as noted by analyst Nekias Duncan.
The Blazers’ stable of strong guards allows them to play a switchable scheme. Malcolm Brogdon holds up well against bigger players. Although he’s struggled in other areas defensively, Scoot Henderson’s strength has helped him thwart opposing players from exploiting his size in the post. Shaedon Sharpe’s length has served as another disruptor in passing lanes.
Arguably the most significant coaching change behind the Blazers’ defensive ascendance was Chauncey Billups’ decision to insert Camara into the starting lineup. Shifting Thybulle’s minutes has helped stabilize the second unit’s defense, but Camara’s emergence as the team’s best on-ball defender stands out as the most important element in the Blazers’ improved play.
Toumani Camara’s two-way play
The final play of regulation against the Utah Jazz on Dec. 2 epitomizes the energy Camara has injected into the Blazers’ starting unit. With the game tied at 106, Colin Sexton drove right on Camara for a game-winning layup attempt. Camara swiveled his hips, stayed with Sexton stride-for-stride, and stamped his layoff attempt off the backboard, sending the game to overtime.
It’s not often that rookies find a role as an impact defender, but that’s exactly what the four-year Dayton product has done. Since earning a spot in the starting lineup, he has consistently received the most difficult defensive assignment and displayed the ability to switch one through five.
Balance, quick hips and strength enable him to stay with almost any ball handler. Even if he loses a step, a quick vertical and impressive instincts make recovery blocks easy. He has demonstrated proficiency as a team defender, executing hard closeouts to prevent breakdowns.
Although most of his impact has come on the defensive end, Camara has been no slouch offensively, either. He’s shooting just 28 percent from three, but the repeatability of his smooth stroke bodes well for his development as a shooter.
His long strides allow him to attack closeouts effectively. At the rim, he’s shown a preference for finishing with his right hand, which is his off hand, and should improve as a finisher when his shot becomes a more credible threat.
Camara has anchored the Blazers’ ascendant defense, but what’s more important than his immediate impact is how he fits within the team’s long-term timeline. Players like Camara—whose on-ball stickiness, length and defensive acumen provide the tissue for an effective, switchable defense—are important building blocks for any aspiring contender.
If he hones the “three” part of the three-and-D archetype, Camara figures to become part of the Blazers’ long-term core alongside Anfernee Simons, Sharpe and Henderson.
Duop Reath’s floor spacing
Perhaps the most disappointing piece of news from the Blazers’ season so far has been the season-ending knee injury suffered by Robert Williams III. Moses Brown received the first crack at replacing Williams’ minutes, but Reath has emerged as the replacement and has solidified his role as the Blazers’ new backup five.
Reath’s sparser minutes mean he hasn’t had a chance to make a Camara-sized impact, but his skill set as a stretch big has changed the geometry of the Blazers’ second-unit offense.
After canning five threes as part of a 37-point performance in his G-League debut with the Rip City Remix, Reath has carried over his 3-point shooting ability to the Blazers.
Shooting a shade below 36 percent on just fewer than 4 attempts per game, Reath’s quick release makes him a viable pick-and-pop threat. He hasn’t displayed much ability as an interior threat, but he has flashed nice touch around the basket and capable passing acumen.
One of the more underrated aspects of Reath’s play is his synergy with Scoot Henderson since both started coming off the bench. So far in his rookie season, Henderson has struggled navigating pick-and-rolls. Without having established a credible jump shot, his defenders can go under when they get screened, taking away the pass to the roll man.
As a stretch big, Reath offers Henderson a safety valve in the pick-and-pop, releasing pressure from Henderson to manipulate the bigger defender.
By stretching the floor, Reath creates more space in the interior for Henderson to attack, an aspect of Scoot’s game he has struggled to unleash at the NBA level.
At the end of the Blazers’ victory against the Cavaliers—in which Reath had a positive plus-minus of 14—Henderson put the Blazers firmly in control with six minutes left in the fourth quarter by penetrating the paint and slinging a one-handed dart to Reath for a corner three, an illustration of how the Australian big has helped Henderson unlock his driving game.