Portland Trail Blazers: Will they ever get over the hump?

After yet another first-round playoff exit last season, it’s time to question whether the Portland Trail Blazers will ever get over the hump

The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the deepest teams in the NBA. They were the third seed in the Western Conference last season and were able to win 49 games in the process. But with a continued inability to make noise in the playoffs and grow from within (over the last two years), it’s reasonable to wonder whether this team will ever get over the hump.

The Trail Blazers are considered one of the best teams in the Western Conference, and that notion is generated a great deal by their star-studded backcourt. With Damian Lillard and C.J McCollum in the fold, head coach Terry Stotts has one of the best one-two scoring punches in the game.

Lillard is one of the best point guards in the game and has averaged at least 25 points per game in each of the last three seasons. He can play in isolation, shoot off the dribble, and get to the rim as well as anyone. McCollum shares similar traits.

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The Lehigh product is one of the best scoring two-guards in the game. He can spot up from beyond the arc, get to the rim with ease, and is a reliable source of offense. In fact, McCollum led the Trail Blazers in scoring in their first-round playoff matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans last season, averaging 25.3 points per game.

Center Jusuf Nurkic has established himself as one of the best centers in the game. He has a knack for hitting the boards, plays in the post, and is money in the paint offensively. Alongside Nurkic, the Trail Blazers have an abundance of reliable and/or two-way wings who makeup their frontline rotation.

With Al-Farouq Aminu, Evan Turner, and Maurice Harkless in place, the Trail Blazers are capable of going small and locking down the perimeter. That facet of their roster was a crucial part in them finishing fifth in the NBA in points surrendered (103.0).

Last season seemed to be the year that the Trail Blazers would finally make some noise in the playoffs. Finishing the year with 49 wins, they were able to snatch the third seed and draw the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round. But even with home-court advantage on their side and the more complete roster at their disposal, the Trail Blazers were swept and in embarrassing fashion.

Losing on their home court in Games 1 and 2, trailing by as much as 24 points in a must-win Game 3 on the road, and ultimately getting swept, the Trail Blazers showcased signs of regression and an inability to show up in the big moment. Lillard, the Trail Blazers franchise player, averaged 18.5 points per game, shot just 35.2 percent from the field, and was thoroughly outplayed by Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday.

Simultaneously, the Trail Blazers, as a whole, were dead-last in points surrendered (114.5) in the playoffs; their elite defense of the regular season was nowhere to be found in mid-April.

The Trail Blazers shocked the NBA world when they made it to the second round of the playoffs in 2016  after losing LaMarcus Aldridge to free agency, but a big part of them playing that deep was their opponent’s injuries. With Chris Paul and Blake Griffin each going down with injuries mid-series, the Trail Blazers were able to win three games in a row to advance to the second round.

Had the two stars stayed healthy, it would’ve been hard to picture Portland moving onto the second round. And when they reached the second round, the Golden State Warriors beat the Trail Blazers in five games, and they were without Stephen Curry for the first three games of the series.

The ensuing year, they were swept by the Warriors in the first round. Yes, the Warriors are the most dominant team of the 21st century, but it’s not justifiable when a prospering young team doesn’t put up a fight in back-to-back years. And getting swept by a Pelicans team without DeMarcus Cousins was an embarrassing moment for the franchise; everyone involved in the debacle looked bad in those four games.

Lillard and McCollum form one of the most potent backcourts in the NBA, and Stotts is a proven and trusted voice on the sidelines. Portland also has depth on their frontline. But the West continues to improve, and the Trail Blazers have little room for improvement in terms of player development and cap flexibility.

The Warriors added DeMarcus Cousins; the majority of the Houston Rockets‘ core remains intact; the Oklahoma City Thunder kept Paul George in free agency; the Utah Jazz are a dangerous young team on the rise; the Pelicans have figured things out with Anthony Davis at the helm; the San Antonio Spurs aren’t going anywhere; the Minnesota Timberwolves have one of the best starting fives in the NBA; the Denver Nuggets won 46 games last season with Paul Millsap missing the majority of the year; the Los Angeles Lakers added LeBron James.

The Trail Blazers core is in place for the foreseeable future; Lillard and McCollum are under contract through the 2020-21 season, and Nurkic re-upped on a four-year deal in the offseason. But the Trail Blazers are not a powerhouse team, or one that invigorates fear into an entire conference; they can’t win the big game, or series, when they have to.

It’s not one individual, or particular aspect of the Trail Blazers roster; it’s a collective issue. Lillard struggled in the postseason, while he and McCollum continue to limp on the defensive end. To add fuel to the fire, this team’s offense is hot and cold behind the backcourt duo. Their defense finally came into its own in the regular season, but collapsed once the playoffs began. Part of their defensive demise and postseason struggles in general warrant blame on Stotts.

This roster is too talented to have lost their last 10 playoff games and be swept in back-to-back first-round series’.

They should be competing in the playoffs for a sixth consecutive season, but the Trail Blazers are continually unable to turn the corner and get over the playoff hump. With limited roster changes and an improving Western Conference, how does the 2018-19 season present a different outcome for the Portland Trail Blazers?