Derrick Jones Jr. to be a starter

[Pattycakes]

Giles, I feel is a very interesting signing and a smart one. Olshey has essentially lit a fire under the ass of Collins. Collins will start on the IR with 0 minutes. When declared healthy, he will likely backup ROCO. He then has the ability, or opportunity, to either earn his starting spot back, but if he doesn't meet expectations, Giles might step in and could possibly make Collins expendable, or at least a cheaper resigning in the future.

With every contract, there's an understanding of what the player is being brought in to do. I think the players jobs have already been assigned, along with those expectations. Giles' deal, I imagine, is as 3rd string C day one, getting maybe 4 min/game, with every opportunity to compete for additional minutes at C or PF. This type of healthy competition for minutes should be welcomed by all, and will likely occur on several fronts, with several players on this loaded roster.

As for Derrick Jones Jr.... He will likely start day one, but with Hood, ROCO and Melo... Hopefully there will be that same open competition for minutes, along with smart decisions by Stotts to consider the matchup, gameplan accordingly, and plan ahead. It's up to Terry to find the mixes, and conduct this team like a symphony orchestra.

Finally, I really want to see shorter, harder stints... Especially from the VETS. Play fast and ferocious, for 48 minutes. Never walking the ball up. We shouldn't try to match up against teams, we should try to balance out the starters with a monster punch off the bench, and crush most teams by the end of the 3rd. Most importantly, no heavy minutes for anyone. Personal success vs. Team success is an issue IMO.

That’s 100%, especially with the built in veteran chemistry of our top 3, at this point we have no excuse for not being taken seriously. If this team can’t dominate a good amount of games and continues its ongoing seasonal plague of playing down to competition - stotts is to blame. Not saying it’s gonna happen, but agreeing with your point big time.

[DaVoiceMaster]

It's really too bad Collins will miss the Lakers games while he is on the IR. I'd really like to see Nurkic/Kanter vs Gasol, Collins/Giles vs Davis, Covington/Melo vs LeBron, CJ/Trent Jr vs Matthews/KCP, and Lillard vs Schroeder. That still leaves Hood, Jones Jr, and Simons available to go in wherever we need them.

I think Giles might get more playing time initially and perhaps once Collins comes back depending on how he does. I think Melo will play sparingly and as needed. I think Collins will get playing time once he returns. They may have time limits when he initially returns, but I think he'll get up to 25-30 minutes once he's back and healthy. I would imagine he will start at PF and Covington will start at SF. The Blazers have a lot of SG/SF wings on the roster this year, most of which deserve time. It will be interesting to see what happens prior to the trade deadline and whether the Blazers look to dump one of Hood/DJJ for something else (cap space, future asset, etc.). I'm not seeing much playing time for Simons this season unless Lillard or CJ go down. I think he will get garbage minutes unless he just takes a major step this offseason and maybe if Trent Jr regresses. Both of those guys have a little something to prove... Simons that he deserves playing time and Trent Jr that last season was not a fluke.

[HoopsFanAZ]

A starting lineup of Nurkic / RoCo / Jones Jr / McCollum / Lillard shows what the Blazers got out of the offseason.
Hood playing fewer minutes works him in. Collins being out helps others get minutes in the short term.

Simons will have to take a leap forward to get minutes this season, but he gets his chances early in the season. If he can't handle the 14 at backup PG, then he's shelved ... CJ gets the 14 at PG + 20 at SG, and Trent gets 28. Hood and Jones Jr fill in the SG minutes.

If Hood and Collins were playing 28 minutes or so each, then the evaluation of RoCo, Jones Jr, Giles and Simons would take longer. Injuries are never a good thing, but the opportunity for evaluation (in this case) is really good timing. With Kanter, Melo, and GTJ, there are plenty of NBA ready players coming off the bench to help the early record while the new Blazers fit in..

[GEE]

There should be healthy competition for minutes, and PT should be earned. With that... Collins, GTJ and Simons will get their opportunities, but I don't see any of those guys with any guarantee of minutes beyond a hand full to begin the season.

First, I don't think GTJ is ahead of Hood in the backup SG rotation, but should be given every opportunity to compete for it. Matchups against certain teams should also be a consideration as playing Hood or GTJ give you very different looks at the 2. All in all, I think GTJ's minutes will be far less this year, but still impactful.

As for Simons, I agree he won't see many minutes early, but will likely get a handful almost every night, at least early on. Whether he gets more or less should be earned, and he will likely have every opportunity to chip into GTJ's SG minutes. If he truly shines, he might even start a game or two later in the season, if Dame or CJ take a night off for rest, which would be smart if you can swing it. It's year 3 for him so who knows, but I think he will see minimal minutes this year for the most part.

And finally Collins. He will get every opportunity to earn all of his minutes back, but again, there should be no guarantee of PT. He is starting at Zero. When declared healthy, will likely get the backup minutes, but with Giles hungrily in his wake, might and should, have a very short hook. Stotts will need to be very smart with him, but I believe Collins will regain his confidence, and eventually return to the starting lineup by midseason.

Derrick Jones Jr. will likely start at the SF, but will also have heat on him. Hood may want, and be in competition for that starting job. So, things could and should evolve quite a bit over this season, but hopefully due to player improvement, not regression, and for god's sake... not because of injury.

[Wizenheimer]

I am fairly high on our offseason but the number of people here who think adding some nice role players is elevating us to contention is pretty startling. The only way this team contends is if our top-3, all or some of them, manage to improve. Given age that isnt overly likely IMO.

ditto

I think Blazer fans realize that there's an Olshey blockade opposing any chance to upgrade to the top-3, so all that's left is hope that somehow Portland can defy history and find a path to contention with role players. Chance that happens is nearly zero

the rotation 4-10 players don't win championships. It's 1-3 that does. Portland has had their top-3 healthy for two playoffs and their record is 1-8. They've had their top-2 around for 5 post-seasons and all that's proven is that Portland has been firmly entrenched on the pretender treadmill

I expect Portland's 4-10 will help the Blazers to a good regular season; maybe HCA. But the Achilles heel of Portland's roster has not been addressed. That being when a good opponent twists their defense to take away the Blazers's #1, Portland's #2 & #3 are incapable of picking up the slack and forcing the opposing defense out of their game plan. Covington & Jones & Giles aren't going to fix that roster flaw

[HoopsFanAZ]

The 2018-2019 Blazers (in the WCF) didn't have Nurkic, had Kanter with 1 1/2 arms, two forwards who shouldn't be starting, and ran into the Warriors (but without Durant). The 2020-2021 Blazers are deeper and better. The veterans are in their prime. There are both shooters and defenders.

Yes, the Lakers and the Clippers are contenders with stars. But they're top heavy with depth issues. They're the favorites. Golden State and Houston aren't the same threats. Denver lost two significant players. Utah will compete hard. Dallas depends on Porzingis and his injury issues. Phoenix has improved but not enough, yet. New Orleans is improving. San Antonio, OKC, Minnesota, Sacramento, and Memphis do not look like playoff teams.

The Blazers can get to the 3rd seed. Lower than 5th seed? Only if the separation of records is that small.
As to getting to the NBA Finals or a championship? ... Right now it's outside looking in -- but not by much. Yeah, I'd like to see CJ traded for the right guy at SG or SF/PF. Still waiting. However, the pieces Olshey has assembled LOOK good. 20 games in and we'll know more.

[Matt800]

I am fairly high on our offseason but the number of people here who think adding some nice role players is elevating us to contention is pretty startling. The only way this team contends is if our top-3, all or some of them, manage to improve. Given age that isnt overly likely IMO.

ditto

I think Blazer fans realize that there's an Olshey blockade opposing any chance to upgrade to the top-3, so all that's left is hope that somehow Portland can defy history and find a path to contention with role players. Chance that happens is nearly zero

the rotation 4-10 players don't win championships. It's 1-3 that does. Portland has had their top-3 healthy for two playoffs and their record is 1-8. They've had their top-2 around for 5 post-seasons and all that's proven is that Portland has been firmly entrenched on the pretender treadmill

I expect Portland's 4-10 will help the Blazers to a good regular season; maybe HCA. But the Achilles heel of Portland's roster has not been addressed. That being when a good opponent twists their defense to take away the Blazers's #1, Portland's #2 & #3 are incapable of picking up the slack and forcing the opposing defense out of their game plan. Covington & Jones & Giles aren't going to fix that roster flaw

You're probably right. But I also think the right players around Lillard, CJ and Nurkic would help a lot. If they had 2 forwards who were actually good at 3 and D. Then the opposing teams would have a lot of trouble selling out to double or triple Lillard. Nurkic also helps over no Nurkic with his passing, but he also needs people to pass to. They basically need good 2 way players. Mo and Aminu had some defense, but not the offense. Hood and Melo helped as shooters, but maybe not the defense.

I'm not sure that this current team has solved the issue. They still have too many one way players unless there is significant internal development.

But let's say we add near prime Ariza instead of DJJ, Covington is in his prime, and Hood is playing like he did early last season. Let's say they have Ibaka, and Millsap instead of Collins and Kanter. With Millsap being a few years younger. I think that roster would be championship competitive without improving the top 3.

Lillard/Simons
CJ/Trent JR
Ariza/Hood/Little
Covington/Millsap/Melo
Nurkic/Ibaka/Giles

[SalemStoner]

I’m really excited about this roster. I don’t think this is the lineup we should use to finish games, but I do think it’s the lineup we should start games with. We need the wing defense to pair with Lillard and McCollum.

[Matt800]

DJJ recently interviewed saying he's excited to have more freedom with Portland to show what he can do. Sounds like he's hoping to take a big step forward with his game. I'm sure most players think that way, but we'll see soon enough what he can do in Portland.

Watch on YouTube

;t&ab_channel=DauntlessR6

[PDXKnight]

I’d say yes on one hand but the flip side is it might be nice to rotate defenders in the lineup so one of Covington-Jones is on the floor at all times to limit a 40 mpg superstar as much as possible. Realistically that means that guy just plays as much as the lebrons and giannises if they stay out of foul trouble though so Jones-cov is probably gonna be the way we go in those sitauAtions, and melo brings some much needed points from the bench

[Pattycakes]

I am fairly high on our offseason but the number of people here who think adding some nice role players is elevating us to contention is pretty startling. The only way this team contends is if our top-3, all or some of them, manage to improve. Given age that isnt overly likely IMO.

ditto

I think Blazer fans realize that there's an Olshey blockade opposing any chance to upgrade to the top-3, so all that's left is hope that somehow Portland can defy history and find a path to contention with role players. Chance that happens is nearly zero

the rotation 4-10 players don't win championships. It's 1-3 that does. Portland has had their top-3 healthy for two playoffs and their record is 1-8. They've had their top-2 around for 5 post-seasons and all that's proven is that Portland has been firmly entrenched on the pretender treadmill

I expect Portland's 4-10 will help the Blazers to a good regular season; maybe HCA. But the Achilles heel of Portland's roster has not been addressed. That being when a good opponent twists their defense to take away the Blazers's #1, Portland's #2 & #3 are incapable of picking up the slack and forcing the opposing defense out of their game plan. Covington & Jones & Giles aren't going to fix that roster flaw

But the Blazers have one of the best Top 3s in the league.. and finally a solid 4-10. Comparing years past doesn’t factor in any of that

[Village Idiot]

I am fairly high on our offseason but the number of people here who think adding some nice role players is elevating us to contention is pretty startling. The only way this team contends is if our top-3, all or some of them, manage to improve. Given age that isnt overly likely IMO.

ditto

I think Blazer fans realize that there's an Olshey blockade opposing any chance to upgrade to the top-3, so all that's left is hope that somehow Portland can defy history and find a path to contention with role players. Chance that happens is nearly zero

the rotation 4-10 players don't win championships. It's 1-3 that does. Portland has had their top-3 healthy for two playoffs and their record is 1-8. They've had their top-2 around for 5 post-seasons and all that's proven is that Portland has been firmly entrenched on the pretender treadmill

I expect Portland's 4-10 will help the Blazers to a good regular season; maybe HCA. But the Achilles heel of Portland's roster has not been addressed. That being when a good opponent twists their defense to take away the Blazers's #1, Portland's #2 & #3 are incapable of picking up the slack and forcing the opposing defense out of their game plan. Covington & Jones & Giles aren't going to fix that roster flaw

But the Blazers have one of the best Top 3s in the league.. and finally a solid 4-10. Comparing years past doesn’t factor in any of that

John Hollinger is doing a series of team previews at The Athletic. He did the Trailblazers yesterday. In his positional rankings he has the Blazers having 3 top 10 players at their positions. Interestingly CJ was not one of them. CJ is only the 13th highest ranked SG but both RoCo and Nurk are top 10 at SF and C respectively. His model also clearly thinks highly of DJJ.

He considers the Blazers to revert to being a mid-tier playoff team finishing 5th in the Western Conference

Rank = Projected BORG rank among players at the position with at least 150 minutes in 2020-21
Value = BORD$ projection for 2020-21Starters
PG Damian Lillard, 1, $42.9
SG C.J. McCollum, 13, $19.0
SF Robert Covington, 7, $22.3
PF Derrick Jones Jr., 16, $14.0
C Jusuf Nurkic, 9, $22.2

[Wizenheimer]

But the Blazers have one of the best Top 3s in the league..

c'mon....no they don't

they had that top-3 healthy and on the floor when the Pelicans swept them. And that top-3 was healthy (till game 5) when the Lakers drubbed them 4-1. And the only reason Portland won game 1 is because the Lakers weren't ready or engaged and sleepwalked thru game 1. That's a 1-8 record for Portland's top-3. That's not one of the best top-3's in the league. Better than average? for sure. But miles from elite and contention

I don't believe you can have an elite top-3 without one of the three being an elite 2-way wing. Elite wings are what wins championships. Two small no-defense guards and a C with offensive issues around the rim while being unable to defend on the perimeter, and who has a worrisome injury history looks a lot like a pretender

[Norm2953]

According to ESPN's top 100 player rankings, Portland has 4 top 100 players with Dame (7), CJ (27,
Nurk (53), Roco (60).

The Lakers have of course have the top 2 players along with Gasol (96) and Pope (77) It's a bit much
to say Portland has one of the top 3 teams for other teams like the Bucks, Celtics, Nets, Clippers
have elite talent as well

[Matt800]

But the Blazers have one of the best Top 3s in the league..

c'mon....no they don't

they had that top-3 healthy and on the floor when the Pelicans swept them. And that top-3 was healthy (till game 5) when the Lakers drubbed them 4-1. And the only reason Portland won game 1 is because the Lakers weren't ready or engaged and sleepwalked thru game 1. That's a 1-8 record for Portland's top-3. That's not one of the best top-3's in the league. Better than average? for sure. But miles from elite and contention

I don't believe you can have an elite top-3 without one of the three being an elite 2-way wing. Elite wings are what wins championships. Two small no-defense guards and a C with offensive issues around the rim while being unable to defend on the perimeter, and who has a worrisome injury history looks a lot like a pretender

Wasn't Lillard playing on a twisted ankle in the Pelicans series? His numbers from that series are a clear outlier of any of his other career playoff numbers. You could say it was the Pelicans, but based on what it looked like he was not 100%.

And wasn't CJ playing with a broken vertebrae against the Lakers? And the Lakers won the championship. Everyone lost to them.

I don't think the quality of the Portland top 3 and team is as easy to sum up as you've said. I think their general group of talent is about as good as any other team that isn't a super team through signing a top player. And there's no realistic way to compete with those teams outside of really good luck. There's no realistic way Portland is going to out-talent Lebron + AD, or when the Warriors had Durant. But they might be able to beat teams like that if those teams have injuries, or if Portland has a lot of luck and internal development.

[Dzon Dilindzer]

pelicans were a nightmare matchup for the blazers

davis is a nightmare matchup for nurk and we saw that against the lakers, but then again, who in the entire league can guard him and then holiday is possibly the best guard defender in the nba and rondo can also defend, so when you have three guys (davis, holiday, rondo) who can guard dame and cj, youre in trouble

but there was one thing in that series that really bothered me and that is nurk/mirotic mismatch for whole series and stotts never went with it, but in the 4th game nurk really dominated mirotic in the 4th quarter and we shouldve done that through whole series

[d-train]

But the Blazers have one of the best Top 3s in the league..

c'mon....no they don't

they had that top-3 healthy and on the floor when the Pelicans swept them. And that top-3 was healthy (till game 5) when the Lakers drubbed them 4-1. And the only reason Portland won game 1 is because the Lakers weren't ready or engaged and sleepwalked thru game 1. That's a 1-8 record for Portland's top-3. That's not one of the best top-3's in the league. Better than average? for sure. But miles from elite and contention

I don't believe you can have an elite top-3 without one of the three being an elite 2-way wing. Elite wings are what wins championships. Two small no-defense guards and a C with offensive issues around the rim while being unable to defend on the perimeter, and who has a worrisome injury history looks a lot like a pretender

Wasn't Lillard playing on a twisted ankle in the Pelicans series? His numbers from that series are a clear outlier of any of his other career playoff numbers. You could say it was the Pelicans, but based on what it looked like he was not 100%.

And wasn't CJ playing with a broken vertebrae against the Lakers? And the Lakers won the championship. Everyone lost to them.

I don't think the quality of the Portland top 3 and team is as easy to sum up as you've said. I think their general group of talent is about as good as any other team that isn't a super team through signing a top player. And there's no realistic way to compete with those teams outside of really good luck. There's no realistic way Portland is going to out-talent Lebron + AD, or when the Warriors had Durant. But they might be able to beat teams like that if those teams have injuries, or if Portland has a lot of luck and internal development.

Lillard's health was fine in that Pelican series. The biggest problem we had that series is too often Lillard forced bad shots that turned into great outlet passes to lead Pelicans break. The good news is our best player got better. When the playoffs start, what happened 3 years earlier isn't relevant anymore.

We got beat last year by the NBA's best team. Nobody beat the Lakers. The good news is Lillard can play better than he did, I'm not sure LeBron and AD can play better. We might also have a healthy Collins, RoCo, and DJJ to bolster our rebounding and defense. Rebounding was a big problem last year.