Risky red flag from Trail Blazers' summer blockbuster trade quietly disappears

The Portland Trail Blazers are a limited offensive team in 2024-25. They rank towards the bottom in several key categories, including offensive rating, three-point shooting, assists, and turnovers. It's been 21 games into the season, which is a large enough sample size to suggest that this roster weakness is here to stay, barring a significant trade before the Feb. 6 deadline.

Given Portland's offensive woes, it's a miracle that they have an 8-13 record and have been mostly competitive, except for a few lackluster blowout losses. That's a testament to what GM Joe Cronin has been trying to emphasize early on in the Blazers' rebuild with their new-look roster the past two seasons, building a lengthy and athletic team that impacts the game on the defensive end.

That has also seemed to mesh well with what Chauncey Billups has prioritized as a coach, which is no surprise given the gritty Detroit Pistons teams he was on as a player during their "Bad Boys" era. The Blazers are far from becoming the "Jail Blazers" of the early 2000s led by Rasheed Wallace and company. Still, they are a physical, defensive-minded team, and that has translated to winning more games than many expected heading into December.

The Blazers desperately need to improve their offense

Cronin is in the midst of figuring out a winning formula but is still a few roster tweaks (and seasons) away from the Blazers' being considered legitimate playoff contenders, especially in the Western Conference. Although defense will be the identity of their core players between Donovan Clingan, Toumani Camara, and Deni Avdija, the Blazers still must significantly improve on offense to keep up with teams and superstars in the West.

Portland needs to address their playmaking woes by finding a true point guard; whether that's eventually Scoot Henderson or someone else not currently on the roster remains to be seen.

Additionally, the Blazers desperately need to improve their shooting. They uncharacteristically made short-term history in their most recent 137-131 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, as both teams shot over 50 percent from beyond the arc for the first time all season. Portland shot 18 of 31 from deep (58.1 percent), while Dallas made 18 of 36 (50 percent). The Blazers have had a handful of hot shooting games so far this season, but it is nowhere consistent enough to feel comfortable about that aspect of their roster going forward.

Deni Avdija's three-point shooting struggles are finally turning around

Someone who has been much more consistent, however, is Avdija, whose three-point shooting was the primary question mark surrounding his game when the Blazers acquired him from the Washington Wizards.

Here are Avdija's three-point shooting percentages since entering the league:

• 2020-21: 31.5

• 2021-22: 31.7

• 2022-23: 29.7

• 2023-24: 37.4

• 2024-25: 32.1

Avdija has been a below-average three-point shooter for every season except for the last. Was his 37.4 percent an outlier, or something that reflected his developing game and was here to stay? Cronin ran the risk of buying high on Avdija, which could have backfired if he couldn't maintain his above-average three-point shooting, especially since it was already a significant weakness for the Blazers.

Early in the season, Avdija's red flag was becoming an unfortunate reality for Portland -- he started extremely cold, making just 11.1 percent of his threes in October. Luckily, the trade still looks like a win for Rip City, as Avdija has shot the ball much better lately. He's at 37.3 percent in November and has made at least two attempts in seven of his last ten games, improving to 43.5 percent during that span.

Although Avdija struggled to start, the eye test suggested that he was always bound for positive regression. His shot is finally starting to fall, providing relief from the trade and a much-needed boost to Portland's offense.