Portland First Quarter Evals

[Jamaaliver]

I'm curious what Blazers fans think of the season thus far and what they expect the team or front office to do moving forward.

Portland Trail Blazers, 11-11, 0.0 net rating

First Quarter Grade: C+

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Another one of those great offense/putrid defense teams. The Portland Trail Blazers have been waiting for Damian Lillard to get back to being Damian Lillard, and I think the supporting cast of this team has been encouraging during this time. It just doesn’t feel like much progress has been made for the roster/approach Dame questioned (rightfully so) following last postseason’s ousting. Chauncey Billups hasn’t brought about much change as the coach. The Blazers are locked into what they have as a team. And it will probably be good enough to be anywhere from a dangerous first-round opponent to an afterthought hoping to get through the Play-In Tournament. The Blazers are fine. They exist. But we’re waiting to see if there’s another gear residing in there.

The Athletic

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[Jamaaliver]

Teams with the Messiest Cap Situations

Portland Trail Blazers: Reinvest in Mediocrity?



Over the last few years, the Trail Blazers have tried to cycle through supporting players to help the guard tandem of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum win in the postseason. Finding the right balance between defensive-minded players who can't score or offensive-minded scorers who cannot defend has been a challenge.

Can the Blazers win with $366.3 million invested in Lillard, McCollum and Norman Powell over the remainder of their respective contracts? Lillard hasn't pushed for a trade yet, but the franchise is well aware of his concerns after a turbulent offseason.

Jusuf Nurkic, Robert Covington and Anfernee Simons (restricted) will all hit free agency next summer. Do the Blazers double-down and reinvest in their role players? If not, how do they replace them with their limited spending power?

The Blazers also owe their 2022 lottery-protected first-round pick to the Chicago Bulls thanks to the deal that brought in Larry Nance Jr. from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Because the pick is lottery-protected through 2028, Portland won’t be able to send out any other first-round picks in trade without some creativity (perhaps renegotiating the protections with the Bulls).

Bleacher Report

[Jamaaliver]

Could this injury force Portland leadership to make changes if this turns to an extended absence?

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[Jamaaliver]

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The Blazers, indeed, have a roster problem. They have no chance guarding at the point of attack, and as a result they are in constant scramble mode. Over-helping is an epidemic; they're surrendering open 3 after open 3, particularly from the corner. Who could've possibly predicted a teeny-tiny three-guard core led by career red-carpet defenders in Lillard and McCollum struggling to defend? Robert Covington's not the help he was supposed to be in name. Larry Nance and Nassir Little provide hope in non-Nurkic lineups (plus-6.7 per 100, per CTG) but can only do so much.

CBS Sports

[monopoman]

Pretty easy to evaluate actually, overall stats fairly meh as a team when looking at all 22 games.

Home stats one of the best teams in the NBA statistically at home.
Road stats one of the worst teams in the NBA statistically when playing outside of Portland.

If you want more data check out my thread about Road vs. Home stats that goes into detail with a good number of advanced stats after 22 games.

[PDXKnight]

Unimpressive season unimpressive team that has reached its expiring date. Blow it up