5 Biggest Takeaways from the Portland Trail Blazers' 1st Half of the Season

The Portland Trail Blazers have been destructive so far this season, ranking as one of the NBA's best teams on both ends en route to a 32-14 record that ranks No. 3 (tie) in the Western Conference. 

LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard have been up to their usual tricks, joined by their ensemble of useful do-it-all guys in Wesley Matthews, Robin Lopez and Nicolas Batum. Each has struggled in one way or another, but the team has been able to weather the storm and keep the ship afloat.

Much like any team, there have been good days and bad days for the Blazers to learn from, even going back to last season. But it's made this group stronger, wise and more cohesive going forward. 

Portland Has Become a Smothering Defensive Team

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

At this point, the Blazers rank No. 5 in opponent points per game (tie), No. 3 in opponent field-goal percentage and No. 1 in opponent three-point percentage. Yeah, they're pretty good defensively.

That's even more impressive when you consider they ranked No. 22 and No. 10, respectively, a season ago.

Portland lives and dies by the three-point line, which can be a risky venture. But courtesy of the tremendous defense so far, the Blazers rank No. 2 in three-point field goals made per game differential at plus-4.5.

Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum have done well to stay with shooters on the perimeter, consistently going behind screens but covering the pick-and-roll game with Robin Lopez and LaMarcus Aldridge pressuring shooters. 

Portland has struggled the past few months with Lopez and reserve defensive specialist Joel Freeland missing time, per Mike Richman of The Oregonian:

"

In the opening six weeks of the season, when Lopez and Freeland were both healthy, the Blazers allowed just 99.5 points per 100 possessions, the sixth best mark in the league, according to NBA.com.

After Lopez went down with fractured right hand on Dec. 15, Freeland moved into the starting center spot and the Blazers defense didn't miss a beat and actually improved statistically. The Blazers allowed just 97.8 points per 100 possessions with Freeland getting most of the minutes as the starting center in place of Lopez in December.

Freeland suffered partially torn rotator cuff on Jan. 3 and over the last month his absence has been a clear loss for the Blazers defense. Portland is allowing 101.4 points per 100 possessions since Freeland's injury, still the tenth best rate in the league during that stretch, but a clear drop off from the elite level defense the Blazers had to open the season.

"

Once both return though, Portland should get back to its ways. The defense has allowed the Blazers to jump back from being down in several games, which wasn't the case last year. They've been just as successful, but it gives this team a different identity going into the postseason.

Meyers Leonard Has Emerged as a Solid Role Player

Steve Dykes/Associated Press

Coming into his third NBA season since being drafted No. 11 in 2012, Meyers Leonard was running out of time to prove he belonged. A player's development is always welcomed sooner rather than later, but the 22-year-old has shaped into a reliable reserve for the Blazers this year.

Leonard has averaged career highs in points (5.9) and rebounds (4.3), as well as putting up a shooting percentage of 52.5 that just falls short of his rookie-year percentage of 54.5 from the field. The most remarkable thing about his season so far, however, is the complete change of his play style.

Leonard, standing 7'1" and weighing in at 245 pounds, naturally was expected to be a physical force in the post. That didn't work well over the past two seasons, but he's re-invented himself as a stretch big who has fit well with Portland's play style.

Leonard has converted 43.5 percent of his three-point field goals, with his 20 made shots from beyond the arc ranking No. 5 among centers despite his playing about 15 fewer games than his counterparts. The injuries to Lopez and Freeland, while disheartening, have been a blessing in disguise for the Blazers and Leonard.

It has given the young center a solid chunk of minutes through January, with the coaching staff having no option but to overlook a miscue or two. Leonard played 12 total games through November and December but has matched that this month.

As such, his production jumped to 8.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.0 made three-point shots per game in 21.3 minutes. Leonard has remained a burly rebounder on both ends but hasn't needed to go outside of his comfort zone and post up.

In fact, his shooting percentages in January of 59.0, 44.4 and 92.3 from the field, the three-point line and the free-throw line, respectively, would enter him into the elusive 50-40-90 club of the game's purest shooters. 

That credential is only bestowed on those who do it for a full season, but Leonard isn't far off with 52.5, 43.5 and 89.5 percent marks in the same context for the year so far. In any case, he's evolved into a dependable player for the Blazers.

We couldn't have said that a year or two ago.

Much of Portland's Success Relies on Its Two All-Stars

Sam Forencich/Getty Images

This one is a bit obvious, but it points to just how shallow the talent pool is in Portland's roster.

Per NBA.com, the Blazers post an offensive rating of 108.1 with LaMarcus Aldridge on the court compared to a lesser 99.6 rating without him. The blow is even greater in Damian Lillard's case, per NBA.com, with a 107.9 rating compared to a 96.7 rating in the same context.

That's to be expected given the All-Star tandem averages 23.6 points and 21.8 points per game, respectively, but Portland should at least be able to keep things going when they're on the bench.

Ideally, the Blazers could use an additional scorer who can run the offense for himself or others. Wesley Matthews, despite his terrific season so far, hasn't been that guy. 

His 141 made three-point field goals leads the NBA, with his 16.4 points tying a career-best mark. His 45.9 percent shooting from the field is a career high, though. He's shooting 54.8 percent inside the arc with an adjusted field-goal percentage that ranks No. 9 in the league.

Portland should by no means replace him, but his on-court offensive rating of 106.6 isn't too different to his 101.5 off-the-court offensive rating for the Blazers, per NBA.com.

Portland just needs that extra firepower to keep the offense going without Aldridge and Lillard. That person may have been Nicolas Batum in the past, but his 38.7 percent from the field and 27.4 percent from beyond the arc have been disappointing this season.

But so far, the team has fallen flat without that extra production. The front office needs to address it at the trade deadline or in-house, because the Blazers will suffer when Lillard and Aldridge struggle.

The Blazers May Have Some Work to Do

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Despite all their brilliance so far, the Blazers have struggled against their Western Conference counterparts.

Their 12-11 record against teams above .500 isn't stellar, though it isn't all that different to that of the Los Angeles Clippers (11-11), Houston Rockets (12-12), San Antonio Spurs (13-12) and Dallas Mavericks (12-13).

While that's easy to shrug off given the potency of any of those teams, it doesn't speak to what the Blazers are trying to do. Simply comparing Portland's lack of success to those around it isn't healthy, especially given that six of those losses have come in January.

Being without Lopez and Freeland for stretches has hurt the defense, as Portland has allowed at least 100 points in five of those six losses with a 99-94 defeat against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 28 being the exception.

But even without that duo, the Blazers are still a strong offensive team. Aldridge and Lillard are one of the top inside-outside combos in the league, expertly spacing the floor for long-range shots and drives to the rim.

Much of last season was about beating teams with offense rather than defense. But Portland cracked at least 100 points against only the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 3 in a 115-107 defeat and versus the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 21 in a 118-113 defeat.

The Blazers went through a similar stretch of futility last season, starting strong before falling off at the midway point. That seems to be a pattern to this point, but it isn't a good thing. It's comforting to know Portland can bounce back, per last time, but the team must stamp out that habit before the postseason comes.

Consistency is key in the West, and the Blazers haven't been experts in doing so. Most of the time they've been able to come back and pull out a win, but starting strong and playing well against tough competition are two aspects Portland must improve upon. 

Per Team Rankings, the Blazers score 24.8 points in the first quarter while allowing 25.5 points by opponents. It's slowly become a habit, with the last three games of scoring 20.0 points while allowing 28.7 points in the first period being a glaring example.

Portland's offense and defense have been stellar for much of the season, but signs of regression are appearing at the midway point. This team is talented enough to survive that way, but it shouldn't have to. 

Damian Lillard's Struggle Is Portland's Struggle

Brandon Dill/Associated Press

Aldridge may the leader and forerunner of this Portland team, but Lillard is the key.

The big man has averaged 22.4 points on 46 percent shooting in wins, compared to 26.7 points on 47.2 percent in losses. For Lillard, it's a much different story.

His 22.4 points on 46.1 percent and 39.5 percent from the field and three-point range, respectively, has kept the defense honest in victories, forcing them into a true "pick your poison" situation between him and Aldridge.

But Lillard's 20.4 points on just 38.0 percent and 31.3 percent in the aforesaid context has seen the Blazers trip despite sprinting to the top of the West for much of the season.

As Portland has gone 6-7 in January, Lillard has shot above 40 percent only twice through 13 games. His 4-of-19 shooting against the Cavaliers on Jan. 28 was the worst output (21.1 percent shooting), and he has even shot below 35 percent on seven occasions. 

It's hard to pinpoint what has caused his struggles so far, as the team has announced no major injury concerns. Defenses could certainly be making a more concerted effort to contain him, but Lillard is too intelligent and talented to not only miss consistently but to force shots.

His 18.8 field-goal attempts, 7.8 three-point attempts and 5.8 free-throw attempts in January are all season-high marks, so it actually may be a case of Lillard forcing his offense. He's never shown a streak of doing so in the past, continually playing within the offense unless it's been stagnant.

That opens up another concept—that the Blazers may be regressing offensively with limited offensive options. Portland can only rely on Lillard, Aldridge and Matthews, with Batum struggling and the rest of the roster being shooting specialists or rebounding big men.

For the record, Portland has averaged just 99.8 points per game in January.

As such, the rest of the NBA may have just figured out how to keep this Portland squad under control. But Lillard has been the focal point of the struggle regardless of the reason. His All-Star snub may be enough to get him going, but his poor shooting must come to an end.

Per Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com, Lillard may have already figured it out: "If I do make it, I’ll be excited. I’m looking forward to being in another All-Star game. If I don’t, I’m going to be pissed off and you’ll see a re-energized Damian Lillard after the break. I’ll be re-energized anyway, but if I don’t make it, you’ll see it even more."

At least, that's what Rip City hopes.