Fansided

Who can crash the playoff field in the NBA’s 22-team restart?

By Bryan Toporek

CJ McCollum, #3, Damian Lillard, #0, Carmelo Anthony, #00, Portland Trail Blazers, (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
CJ McCollum, #3, Damian Lillard, #0, Carmelo Anthony, #00, Portland Trail Blazers, (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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PORTLAND, OREGON – NOVEMBER 27: CJ McCollum #3 and Damian Lillard #0 high five alongside Carmelo Anthony #00 of the Portland Trail Blazers in the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder during their game at Moda Center on November 27, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON – NOVEMBER 27: CJ McCollum #3 and Damian Lillard #0 high five alongside Carmelo Anthony #00 of the Portland Trail Blazers in the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder during their game at Moda Center on November 27, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

1. Portland Trail Blazers

When we last saw the Portland Trail Blazers, they were wheezing their way to the finish line of the regular season.

Rodney Hood was sidelined with a torn Achilles. Zach Collins was still recovering from the shoulder surgery he underwent in October. Jusuf Nurkic was preparing to make his season debut after missing the first 66 games to recover from a severe leg injury. Damian Lillard missed the first six games after the All-Star break with a groin injury.

Although Hood will still be sidelined when play resumes, Nurkic and Collins appear likely to return.

“I’m 100 percent positive they will [be available],” Lillard said on ESPN’s Jalen & Jacoby. “Right before [the league shutdown], I know Nurk was coming back the following week. And Zach was maybe a month, month-and-a-half out. … And we passed that point by a long shot now, so I feel like we’ll definitely have both of those guys back.”

With both Collins and Nurkic back in the fold, the Trail Blazers will have their frontcourt at full strength for the first time all season. Those two will join Carmelo Anthony (who can also slide down to the 3 at times) and Hassan Whiteside to wreak havoc on teams that lack the size to match up against them.

The Blazers will also have a fully healthy Lillard, who authored the most impressive stretch of the season when he averaged 48.8 points (!) on 54.8 percent shooting, 10.2 assists, 8.2 triples (!!) and 7.2 rebounds in 40.2 minutes over a six-game stretch in late January. They’ll have to fend off the Suns, Spurs, Kings and Pelicans for the right to challenge the Grizzlies for the No. 8 seed, but the explosive backcourt combination of Lillard and CJ McCollum should be up for the challenge.

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All statistics via Basketball-Reference or NBA.com unless otherwise noted.

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