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 SYNOPSIS The 2022-23 season finds our heroes in THE GOOD
THE BAD
THE PLAYERS Damian Lilliard (PG): It's not a stretch to say that the Blazers fortunes depend in large part on Lillard's successful return to all-NBA form. When he's at his peak, the Blazers are a top-5 offense. When he's not, it's Rough Anfernee Simons (SG): It's not a stretch to say that the Blazers fortunes depend in large part on Simons's ascendance to true #2 scorer on a good team. Still only 23, Simons needs to make defenses pay, and needs to demonstrate enough energy on defense to offer at least some resistance on that end of the floor. Josh Hart (SF)): It's not a stretch to say that the Blazers fortunes depend in large part on Hart's ability to consistently hit 3s from the corner, handle the tougher matchups on D, anchor the second unit when asked, and provide grit and hustle to a team sometimes sorely lacking in both. Jerami Grant (PF): It's not a stretch to say that the Blazers fortunes depend in large part on Grant's potential to provide frontcourt scoring, pull defenders out to the three-point line, spot Nurkic at C when needed, and be the kind of dynamic big that Portland hasn't seen since LaMarcus Aldridge. Jusuf Nurkic (C): It's not a stretch to say that the Blazers fortunes depend in large part on Nurkic staying healthy and providing stout PnR play w Lillard, and protecting the rim from the endless waves of opponents he is certain to encounter there. Keon Johnson (PG): It's not a stretch to say that the Blazers fortunes depend in large part on Johnson's ability to provide decent PG play during Dame's bench minutes Gary Payton II (SG): It's not a stretch to say that the Blazers fortunes depend in large part on Payton's defensive prowess 1-on-1 providing a crucial advantage, particularly in a Western Conference fuckin stuffed with prime-time backcourt scorers Nassir Little (SF): It's not a stretch to say that the Blazers fortunes depend in large part on Nassir Little's willingness to take the next step, and by that I mean take several steps in succession with rupturing an earlobe, contracting scurvy, or falling victim to any similar tragedies as have dogged his promising career to date Shaedon Sharpe (SG): It's not a stretch to say that the Blazers fortunes depend in large part on Sharpe's providing an unexpected injection of HoF talent, seriously if he could just roll in with 20-25ppg and some plucky defense we might have something special here Drew Eubanks {PF}: It's not a stretch to say that the Blazers fortunes depend in large part on Drew Eubanks not having to play heavy minutes for the Blazers at C. It's not a stretch to say that several of these things will come true. The stretch comes when they kind of all have to come true in order for the Blazers to get anywhere out west. I didn't mention Justise Winslow, Trendon Watford, Greg Brown III, Jabari Walker or Olivier Sarr, all of whom will see minutes throughout the season here or there, none of whom can be relied on to change the course of the upcoming season. THE VERDICT The Blazers shook up the front office but it didn't solve their problem: an undersized backcourt that sucks defensively needs smart, reactive, defensively-oriented players up front to compensate. When the Blazers have had that, they've done well. This season is the latest in a series of attempts to capture that balance (and acquiring Jerami Grant will certainly help.) The problem, of course, is that they've swapped out one undersized, defensively suspect SG in CJ McCollum for another undersized, defensively suspect SG in Anfernee Simons; to date, the results have been pretty much the same, and project to follow a fairly similar trajectory in the upcoming season. There are ways to counteract this. Nassir Little has shown potential on D but can't stay healthy long enough to make a difference. The team signed Gary Payton II this offseason as a defensive stopper, but he's been injured since he got to town. Keon Johnson has looked good defensively but is still very young and will see only limited minutes. The team hired Billups in hopes that he could coax better defense out of this roster, but that's been pretty nonexistent. Billups got a pass last season, but with several more tools and a mostly-healthy roster, the pressure's on to show some/any improvement. The players like him and respect him, but it remains unclear whether he can coach a flawed team into the postseason. It's not all bad here. If Dame is truly healthy, it's huge. He's an elite offensive player who can make this one of the most potent offenses in the league more or less on his own. There's good young talent in Simons, Little, Johnson. Justise Winslow will see meaningful minutes off the bench and will do good things. Jabari Walker turned heads during summer league and preseason and will probably earn minutes as the season progresses. And I love what little we've seen from Sharpe - he's looked more patient than you'd expect, and has enough talent that it may just become impossible to keep him on the bench. The problem isn't that the team is bad (they are not), it's that the West is really really good. Doesn't matter how good you are if there are a half-dozen teams demonstrably better than you. BEST CASE: Sharpe pops in a big way, Nurk plays ~70 games, Dame bombs with aplomb, and the Blazers capitalize on a couple of unforeseen West Coast meltdowns to sneak into the top four out West against all odds, where they enjoy a few spirited playoff scrums before getting rocked in five by the Nuggets etc. Flush with success, the Blazers nonetheless enter the offseason with most of the same questions they had the year before. WORST CASE: Dame is in fact not back, Nurk battles foot issues and is in and out of the lineup all season, the bench never gels into anything more than a bunch of 6'6" PFs who think they can run the break, and Chauncey is not the right guy. Blazers halfheartedly tank down the stretch and limp into the offseason with most of the same questions they had the year before. rivetz fucked around with this message at 07:33 on Oct 18, 2022 |
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Oct 18, 2022 06:31
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| # ¿ May 15, 2024 17:46 |
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