November Takeaway: Bury the Blazers
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are as solid of a backcourt duo that the league has to offer, but sometimes that’s not enough. This roster just simply isn’t good. I recently touched on some of my concerns about their frontcourt, but that was before the injury to Zach Collins which has left the cupboard bare in Portland.
Carmelo Anthony has been a nice pickup so far and I’m happy he’s back in the league, but he isn’t going to do them any favors defensively (tied for 20th in defensive efficiency). And who else can they count on to make plays and get stops in that frontcourt? Hassan Whiteside? Skal Labissierre? Anthony Tolliver? Nassir Little? These guys just aren’t going to get it done which puts a lot of pressure on Lillard and McCollum to outscore every team they play. Putting that load on them for 82 games is asking for trouble.
I won’t completely count them out because their guards play at such a high level, but there is a lot of competition for the last couple spots in the Western Conference playoffs and they just don’t have the guys to fend them off.
Help may be on the way, but it’s not going to show up for several months. Jusuf Nurkic would be a huge boost to their frontcourt on both ends of the floor, but it sounds like the best-case scenario for him is a return after the All-Star break in February. Even then, I’d assume he’s on some sort of minutes restriction and takes some time to get back in playing shape which isn’t ideal during a playoff push.
The playoffs are always better when all of the superstars are there so I’m hoping they can turn this around enough to sneak in, but there isn’t a version of the 2019-20 Blazers that can be a contender in May.