Portland Trail Blazers 2015 NBA Season Preview

Key Offseason Losses

For a team that lost four of their five starters last season, picking key losses isn’t too difficult; just pick any of those four players. However, the loss of All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge who ultimately signed with the San Antonio Spurs this offseason is still at the forefront. Aldridge was their most reliable offensive option last season and the team’s start. His presence is not one that Portland will easily replace.

While losing Nicolas Batum and Robin Lopez is important for the Trail Blazers, I don’t think it’s quite as important as the loss of Wesley Matthews. Before Matthews’ Achilles injury, Matthews was this team’s third leading scorer and a huge plus on the defensive end of the floor. I like C.J. McCollum, but he has a ways to go before he’s on the level of Matthews.

Key Offseason Additions

As part of essentially blowing things up in Portland, the Blazers decided to add a young asset in exchange for an established veteran. So as they sent out Nicolas Batum, they brought in Gerald Henderson and, more importantly, second-year forward Noah Vonleh. Vonleh didn’t do much in his rookie season in Charlotte, but the potential is clear with him and he could develop into something special.

The Trail Blazers also added veteran, young forward Al-Farouq Aminu to help fill the vacancies left on the wing by Matthews signing with Dallas and Batum being traded. While Aminu doesn’t offer the offense that those two players who are now elsewhere did in Portland, he’s a capable rebounder and defender and the type of athletic forward who could benefit from playing with Lillard and McCollum.

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