Portland Trail Blazers: Each Players' Offseason Work: Part 1
If the Portland Trail Blazers want to be a contending team in the conference, they will have to improve from within as well as from without.
Players are going to have to put the work in to improving their games summer.
There may be a shot for them in the conference. The Spurs may have run their last race. The Lakers are aging and losing Phil Jackson, and the Mavericks are getting up there as well.
The Blazers need to take the window of opportunity that may come in the next couple years. To do that, everyone will have to show their A-game.
LaMarcus Aldridge
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For all the wonderful improvements LMA made this year, he could still take it to the next level.
A big part of that will be mental; transitioning to having an assertive, killer attitude. He should try to become a closer for Portland, including hitting clutch free throws.
He could become Kevin Garnett-esque on defense, becoming the team leader their as well and maybe adding a few more blocks and steals. Aldridge already plays good defense, but next year he should try to make the whole team defense better.
His offensive game can also expand. He showed some good post moves, but a limited number of them. He can punish defenses much better if he added some more and became less predictable.
A driving game would also help him a lot. He doesn't have to have the handles of a guard, but if he could take it to the basket from 15 feet out and finish, that would also open doors for more open jump shots.
LaMarcus worked hard to improve his game last year. Hopefully this year he can become a superstar.
Gerald Wallace
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Wallace can do a little of just about everything, and a lot of some things. He is at a point in his career where there's probably not a whole lot of room for improvement, he's probably not going to have any more breakout seasons.
He should spend time working on his three-point shot. If he can make that more consistently, that would be a big boost. If he can shoot about 36 percent from distance that would spread the floor more for him and the rest of the team.
Other than that, he should just work on integrating himself with the rest of the team.
Brandon Roy
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Priority 1: Get as healthy as possible
Priority 2: Adjust
It doesn't appear that Roy will be back to All-Star form consistently. I wouldn't want to bet against this guy though.
He should continue treatment on his knees to at least get them as close to normal as possible.
Roy should also further improve his point guard skills, as that may be his role on the team. He should also try to become a knock-down shooter.
If the best-case scenario of him coming back fully can not come true, there are examples of stars adjusting their games to remain effective after injuries (Penny Hardaway, Antonio McDyess etc.).
With Roy's attitude, work ethic, and competitiveness, I believe he will be a good NBA player for many years.
Wesley Matthews
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Wesley has the fire and competitive attitude as well as work ethic that make me believe that he may be an All-Star someday. He improved his offensive game a lot between his rookie year and this last year. A few more years of those improvements and he is a top-tier player.
First off, he needs to force himself to take a month or so completely off and rehabilitate his ankle, which gave him problems this season.
After that, he will have a lot of room for growth. His jump shot is a strength, Wesley can make it more consistent though.
He needs to work on creating shots off the dribble. That would relieve a lot of the offensive pressure, particularly late in games, on Aldridge, Roy, and Miller.
Also his point guard skills, namely court vision and handles, could use some work to add a new wrinkle to his game.
For someone who already is a lockdown defender and puts up 16 a game in his second season, developing these areas of his game could make him really scary.
Andre Miller
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Andre takes most summers off and rests his body. At this stage in his career, that's not a bad idea.
He should take the time to get in the gym and get a shooting coach though. His lack of a three-point shot really hurts, especially in the playoffs.
If he can get to where he at least makes the open ones, that would be a big deal. Remember, Jason Kidd wasn't a good shooter during his prime. Now that is a strength.
Marcus Camby
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Camby should primarily be resting and getting his knee back into shape this summer. He did not look the same post-surgery, hopefully he can get back to 2010 levels.
If Marcus makes it in to the gym, he should work on his free-throw and mid-range shooting.
He has an offensive game, but just doesn't use it very much. If he can work on it enough to keep defenders from "hiding" on him, that will be helpful.
The Bench
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Nicolas Batum, Rudy Fernandez, Greg Oden and the rest of the team are dealt with in part two.
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