Heading into the 2018/19 season, many fans and analysts predicted that the Trail Blazers would miss the playoffs as a result of regression, offseason moves and an improved Western Conference. With Portland losing Ed Davis, Shabazz Napier and Pat Connaughton (only to replace them with Nik Stauskas and Seth Curry), many were down on the team’s chances to make it to the playoffs.
While it is still very early, the Trail Blazers have come out of the gates strong, showing how star players can will a team to wins on a nightly basis. Of course, when it comes to the Blazers, that star is Damian Lillard. Lillard is off to another tremendous start this season, averaging a league-best 33.8 points, 6.6 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game in the team’s first five games. The three-time All-Star is also scoring at a very efficient rate, posting a true shooting percentage of 65%, which would be the best of his career.
While Lillard has been the driving force in the team’s three wins so far, the supporting players around him are showcasing their abilities to fill-in for the departed players. Second-year big man Zach Collins has stepped into a larger role and is thriving, averaging 10.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Curry is providing more ball-handling and shooting in bench lineups, while Stauskas has had a resurgence to start the season by averaging over 10 points per game and knocking down over 47% of his 3-pointers.
Perhaps many simply overlooked the possibility for the Trail Blazers to fill the voids left by Davis, Napier and Connaughton departing in the offseason. After all, there was reason to question the team’s offseason signings — Curry missed the entire 2017/18 season due to injury and Stauskas barely stuck around in the league after being traded to the Nets mid-season.
However, what many did overlook (or simply didn’t realize) is that in recent history, the Trail Blazers have been of the most consistent regular season teams in the league. Portland has made the playoffs in each of the past five seasons and amassed a 239-171 record in that span. With Lillard and C.J. McCollum leading the way in recent years, the Trail Blazers have surrounded them with just enough talent to get to the playoffs, and this season could be more of the same.
However, as mentioned earlier, it is still early, and despite Lillard’s hot start the Blazers are just 3-2 in their first five games. An injury to a key starter could put more pressure on the supporting cast than it can handle, and a slump to one of their leading guards could prove costly. Despite those concerns, Portland has the right ingredients to continue using the same recipe of success that has led the way in recent seasons.
Surrounded by an improved Collins, Jusuf Nurkic, Al-Farouq Aminu, Moe Harkless, Evan Turner and the aforementioned Curry and Stauskas, Lillard and McCollum should be able to shoulder enough of the load for the Blazers to continue their playoff appearance streak.
Jump in the comments section below to share your thoughts on this season’s Trail Blazers team and their playoff chances!
Who cares? They will be bounced in the first round
Hold the press folks! This just in! The season is over for Portland. yournotascout has called it. Pack your bags and go home folks.
That is a brilliant take. So succinct and well thought out. Tell me how you do it.
p.s. wrong use of your
0-4 last 2 years. West has gotten better, you can argue they havent.
Howboutthemnewbies!
@yournotascout
Probably true. I interpret those early predictions as what people want to happen, not what will likely happen. Who wants to see a perennial team make the playoffs and get bounced out, ad infinitum?
Blazers ain’t legit. They’ve recuperated from the bad year they had, thinking it makes sense to keep both CJ & Dame. But it doesn’t.
By the time they realize that, it’ll be too late.
Kudos to Stauskas, though.
I think they’ll make the playoffs, but again, nothing past 1st Round.
Before training camp, I had them in the 10th seed, but with 43+ wins. I think they’ve done better with their 2nd unit than I initially gave them credit for, and I could see their defense improving some, which I wasnt sure about. Zach Collins has gotten a lot better, in my opinion, and Stauskas is giving them important shooting on the wing. I could see them being in that tier higher, fighting with a bunch of teams in the middle-end of the pack. I dont see much separation between 5 and 10 really
This guy has it. Just like last year only a few games will separate the 3 through 10 seed. I see them duking it out more in the 10-7 seed range. Just not deep enough of a team, though I hope the prove me wrong.
See “The Athletic” “Damian Lilliard is more than a Trailblazer in Portland.” “I’m where I need to be.”- Damian Lilliard in the community.