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Portland Trail Blazers: Where Will They Be Come April?

By Eric Saar

Dec 2, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) speaks with small forward Nicolas Batum (88), point guard Damian Lillard (0), center Robin Lopez (42) and shooting guard Wesley Matthews (2) during the fourth quarter of the game against the Indiana Pacers at the Moda Center. The Blazers won the game 106-102. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 2, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) speaks with small forward Nicolas Batum (88), point guard Damian Lillard (0), center Robin Lopez (42) and shooting guard Wesley Matthews (2) during the fourth quarter of the game against the Indiana Pacers at the Moda Center. The Blazers won the game 106-102. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports /
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Taking a look at the Portland Trail Blazers and how they will fare in 2014-15.

The Blazers are finally in a good place in the NBA. They have their set of stars, the makings of a decent bench, a good coach and are coming off a postseason series win last year.

But where do they go from here?

They were a middle of the road playoff team last season, but are they that again this year?

There is certainly a lot to look at, so let’s get started.

Oct 12, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum (88) dunks the ball over Los Angeles Clippers at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 12, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum (88) dunks the ball over Los Angeles Clippers at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports /

Roster

The team is led by All-Stars LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard, as well as the severely-underrated Nicholas Batum.

Aldridge is a great post player, but really exploits the defense when he faces up from mid-range and knocks down those shots.

Lillard is only going into his third year, but already is so good. He is such an excellent shooter and general scorer, which in turn sets up his passing ability. For him, those two aspects of the game complement each other instead of conflicting. Sometimes players lass because they can’t score in certain situations or they shoot (a bad shot) because they don’t have the vision (or willingness) to pas to the open man.

Batum is so underrated. He is one of the top small forwards in the league statistically as I recently wrote about, and is very well rounded. At 6’8 and 200 pounds with a massive wingspan and loads of athletic ability, he is a good rebounder for his position, can score in a variety of ways, and defend at a high level.

The starting lineup is rounded out by Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez. Lopez is a big guy who has the ability to defend other big guys. That’s where his value lies. Not all big guys have that ability. He can also rebound well. Matthews is a good perimeter shooter and decent defender.

Coming off the bench are the two veterans Steve Blake and Chris Kaman and a bunch of young’uns. Sharpshooter Dorell Wright is probably the most recognizable name with Will Barton, Thomas Robinson, CJ McCollum, Victor Claver, Joel Freeland, Allen Crabbe, and Myers Leonard filling out the depth chart.

It’s not an above average bench like San Antonio or Phoenix, but it’s better than Cleveland and certainly Philadelphia. That’s for sure.

Strengths and Weaknesses

A lot of teams try to play with a lot of rhythm and like to play an up tempo style, scoring a bunch (unlike the Bulls or Grizzlies). The Blazers are one of those teams. They were fourth last year in points per game at a 106.7 clip, but were 22nd in points allowed, giving up 102.8 per game.

One tenant of basketball is “the possession isn’t over until you secure the rebound. Portland sure made that a priority as they led the league in rebounding in 2013-14 with 46.4 boards per game.

Oct 7, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Wesley Matthews (2) looks to pass the ball against the Utah Jazz during the second quarter at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 7, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Wesley Matthews (2) looks to pass the ball against the Utah Jazz during the second quarter at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports /

Portland is a good three-point shooting team. They were in a four-way tie last season with Phoenix, New York and Toronto as the seventh-best shooting team beyond the arc at 37.2 percent.

Attitude

The Trail Blazers are not resting on their achievements from last year. Aldridge has stated be wants to go down as the greatest Trail Blazer ever and Lillard wants to do the same thing by the time his career comes to an end.

While the West got better, the Blazers think they can contend with the likes of the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Los Angeles Clippers.

It’s going to be tough with Dallas and Phoenix improving, along with Golden State, Memphis and Houston basically standing pat. That’s nine teams. One of them will be left out of the playoffs.

Predictions

If the bench can overachieve, Aldridge and Lillard retain their All-Star form and Batum plays at that level, then the Blazers could be the fourth-seed. Even with Durant’s injury, no team in the West will be better than the Clippers, Thunder or Spurs. This would be counting of the ridiculous lack on injuries the team had last year. Barely any missed time for key players.

The worst-case scenario would be a severe regression with a plethora of injuries landing the Blazers on the outside looking in. They would probably be the ninth or tenth seed out West and miss the postseason.

What will probably happen is somewhere in the middle. They’ll have more injuries, but players will improve. They’ll end up as the seventh or eighth seed in the Western Conference and therefore earn a playoff berth.

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