Grading Portland Trail Blazers' Final 15-Man Roster

The 2014-15 NBA season is underway and the Portland Trail Blazers have their roster settled at 15 players. The majority of the names are the same as last season, but a few new names will give Portland a bit of a different look going forward.

The roster’s level of talent stacks up well against the rest of the Western Conference, but it still needs to be broken down and graded. Portland will also receive a position-by-position grade for its first game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Oct. 29.

Boasting two All-Stars and a plethora of role players, the Blazers have a diverse and deep cohort to take on the NBA this season.

Let’s take a look.

Point Guard

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Starter: Damian Lillard

Reserve: Steve Blake

The Blazers have a number of competent backcourt players, but the point guard spot is thin despite it. With just Lillard and Blake to run the point, there isn’t a lot of insurance against injury or personal leave.

Lillard has been blessed with good health thus far in this NBA career, though Blake has missed a decent chunk of time the past few seasons. The last time the veteran played more than 60 games was back during the 2010-11 season.

In terms of talent, Portland’s young All-Star is slowly edging his way into the conversation of the top point guards in the NBA. The Blazers don’t truly rely on their point guard to initiate the offense, but Lillard is more than capable if needed to do so.

Blake has shown to be a reliable role player during his time in the NBA, averaging 6.9 points and 4.0 assists on 38.8 percent shooting from long range for his career. His distributing and shooting are both traits that fit seamlessly into Portland’s offense, so he’s a great fit off the bench.

Neither player is an elite defender, but both exert noticeable effort to contain their man. Their ability to defend might be limited, but their determination to do so is just as important.

The only knock against this position for the Blazers is adequate defense—which needs to improve against a Western Conference brimming with elite point guards—and health down the stretch of an 82-game season.

Grade: A-

Against the Thunder

Lillard and Blake combined to shoot 3-of-14 from the field in Portland’s season-opening game, turning out a poor offensive performance, though the Blazers managed to succeed anyway.

Despite this, both had five assists apiece and held Thunder point guards Russell Westbrook and Sebastian Telfair to a combined 12-of-35 shooting. Lillard made two big three-point shots in the fourth quarter to extend Portland’s lead for good, despite missing all of his attempts in the first quarter.

Better late than never.

Grade: B

Shooting Guard

Don Ryan/Associated Press

Starter: Wesley Matthews

Reserves: Will Barton, C.J. McCollum, Allen Crabbe

The 2-guard spot has a great amount of talent, most of which still needs to develop, but it remains formidable nonetheless.

It is likely Matthews and McCollum will be the chief recipients of minutes at shooting guard, with Barton and Crabbe playing extended minutes at the end of games or if an injury occurs.

Matthews has developed into a legitimate talent in the past few seasons, combining deadeye long-range shooting and a rare post-up game with energetic defense on the perimeter. He averaged 16.4 points per game for the Blazers last season and is the perfect complement to Lillard in the backcourt.

Matthews’ ability to stand alone and shoot or post up balances with his point guard’s shooting and driving ability, forming a potent offensive duo on the perimeter.

He remarked to Erik Gundersen of The Columbian that he considered himself “the best two-way 2-guard in the NBA,” which holds some merit but may not be fully correct. Matthews is no doubt talented on both ends, but there remain other players that are more consistent on both ends.

In any case, the Blazers have a gifted two-way guard in their starting lineup, and the team must relish his confidence.

Coming off the bench, Portland will have a healthy McCollum, who missed a large chunk of last season to a foot injury. He played well during the summer league and the preseason and should be a competent reserve that can play either guard spot.

Barton and Crabbe are specialists in their own right, but probably won’t see much of the court in a crowded rotation. With Lillard, Matthews, Blake and McCollum taking the lion’s share of minutes, it leaves head coach Terry Stotts’ hands tied when it comes to calling their number.

Grade: B

Against the Thunder

Matthews played very well against the Thunder, scoring 22 points while shooting 5-of-9 from three-point range. He knocked down three of them in the fourth quarter—two within 33 seconds of each other—during a pivotal stretch to net Portland the victory.

McCollum shot just 1-of-4 en route to two points in 16 minutes, while Crabbe and Barton played just two minutes each.

Save for Matthews’ thrilling and timely contribution, the 2-guard spot left a little to be desired.

Grade: B

Small Forward

Don Ryan/Associated Press

Starter: Nicolas Batum

Reserves: Dorell Wright, Victor Claver

At our third stop, the small forward position for Portland isn’t as strong as it could be.

Batum is one of the more versatile players in the NBA, with his shooting, passing and defense all instrumental to the Blazers’ success. Even as he heads into his seventh season, he’s still just 25 years of age.

He’s become an integral piece to Portland’s puzzle on both ends of the floor, running him as playmaker in offensive sets or as the lead defender on the opponent’s best perimeter player.

But when it comes to Batum’s backup, the roster falls short.

Wright has worked extremely hard over the course of his career to develop. In his time with the Miami Heat, he was often injured but wasn’t considered a long-range threat. It’s only been in the past five or so seasons that Wright has developed into an accurate shooter.

He converted on 34.2 percent of his threes last season, but isn’t a multifaceted contributor. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as Wright works well as a shooter off the bench. It just limits the effectiveness of the Blazers’ bench to a certain extent.

The same can be said for Claver, who played sparingly last season. Averaging 8.8 minutes in just 21 games, the forward doesn’t have a niche within the team. He works well as a frontcourt player, but hasn’t been able to translate his game to work on the perimeter.

And with a roster that’s now rife with power forwards and centers, it leaves Claver out of the loop.

Grade: B+

Against the Thunder

Batum chipped in 16 points, five rebounds and six assists in Portland’s win over Oklahoma City, shooting 2-of-5 from three-point range. He rushed a few shots but otherwise kept in check and was patient running the offense.

Wright played just five minutes, registering a rebound and a blocked shot while going 0-of-1 shooting. Claver did not dress to play.

The Thunder were without All-Star Kevin Durant due to injury, leaving little to no sense of urgency on the defensive end. Even so, OKC started forward Perry Jones in his absence, who was limited to 1-of-9 shooting.

In addition, Batum was assigned to lock down on Westbrook, limiting the high-scoring guard to just two points in the fourth quarter. The Thunder point guard had 36 points up until the final period.

Grade: A-

Power Forward

Chris Schneider/Associated Press

Starter: LaMarcus Aldridge

Reserve: Thomas Robinson

Much like the point guard spot, there isn’t a ton of depth to the power forward position.

It isn’t overly concerning either, with three-time All-Star Aldridge manning the fort. Robinson is developing into a solid backup as well, but the lack of options remains glaring.

Aldridge is arguably the top power forward the league has to offer, with his low-post scoring and mid-range shooting difficult to defend. Much like the Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki, Aldridge has a high release point in both areas to make contending his shots infuriating.

Despite putting forward a career-best season of 23.2 points and 11.1 rebounds, Aldridge missed a small chunk of the season to a lower back contusion. In his absence, Stotts opted to start small forward Wright at the 4 to open games.

It was more to do with Wright’s ability to stretch the floor than anything else, but the obvious deficiency of reliable talent in the frontcourt was there.

This season, the Blazers are hopeful of Robinson’s continued development. He emerged as a solid option in the summer league with averages of 13.7 points and 8.7 rebounds. The numbers won’t translate to the NBA level, but hopefully the ability does.

At this stage, Robinson is more of an energy player than a specialist in any one area. He makes hustle plays on the boards and on defense to get the crowd into the game, but needs to develop more on offense to be a reliable and strong contributor.

Portland’s front office has already notified Robinson it won’t be picking up the fourth-year option on his rookie-scale deal, per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, which might (as the Blazers may very well anticipate) light a fire under the forward and speed up his growth.

In any case, the power forward position’s lack of depth balances out with Aldridge’s talent and Robinson’s potential to improve.

Grade: A-

Against the Thunder

Robinson played only two minutes versus the Thunder, scoring two points and grabbing one rebound.

Aldridge, on the other hand, went off for 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting. With Lillard struggling, the big man took it upon himself to carry the Blazers offensively. He scored 15 points in the first quarter, including a pull-up three-point shot for his first points of the 2014-15 season.

Aldridge had just three rebounds but played most of the game on the perimeter. Whether he was shooting from mid-range or guarding Thunder forward Serge Ibaka’s shooting ability, he played well. Ibaka finished the game 4-of-11 from the field.

Grade: A-

Center

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

Starter: Robin Lopez

Reserves: Chris Kaman, Joel Freeland, Meyers Leonard

Each starting player for the Blazers fills a need and matches well with his teammates. It’s no different for Lopez.

The 7-footer’s low-post ability on offense and defense, as well as his rebounding and passing, blends very well with the stretch forward style of Aldridge. Lopez can be counted on to do the dirty work and be physical inside, averaging 4.0 offensive rebounds per game last season, which tied with DeAndre Jordan for No. 2 in the NBA.

He averaged 11.1 points and 8.5 rebounds for the year, along with 1.7 blocks and remarkably accurate shooting percentages of 55.1 and 81.8 from the field and the free-throw line, respectively.

Lopez had little help over the course of last season, but he can relax with the likes of Kaman to back him up.

Kaman, who played with the Los Angeles Lakers last season, plays similarly to Lopez to a certain extent. He carries the same rebounding and low-post scoring traits, though isn’t the same defender his teammate is.

Kaman is still a reliable shot-blocker, but his offense is what the Blazers love. His shooting, passing and low-post play are impeccably characteristic of Portland’s starting frontcourt players, which makes him a potent player in its offensive system.

Freeland and Leonard, much like Barton and Crabbe, won’t see the court consistently but are still sound contributors. Freeland offers a tad more than Leonard at this point, providing physical rebounding and defense down low.

Leonard, on the other hand, will likely be a development project over the course of the season for the Blazers. The potential and talent is there, it just needs to be tapped into so that the big man can be a factor.

At 7’1” with a defined physique, Leonard has the skills to be a rugged player in the post. He can pass well for his size and defend, he just needs to gain more confidence and mature before he can be relied on consistently.

Leonard played just 8.9 minutes last season, down from the 17.5 during his rookie season, and averaged 2.5 points and 2.8 rebounds. The biggest knock is the fact he averaged 1.9 fouls per game in that short span of time, which limited his effectiveness and ability to stay on the court.

If he can develop over the course of this season, he’ll be a solid reserve for Portland.

Grade: B+

Against the Thunder

Lopez had his usual double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds, including seven offensive rebounds, with two blocked shots.

In his first regular-season game for the Blazers, Kaman chipped in 12 points, six rebounds and a block. He played well coming off the bench, connecting multiple times with point guard Blake on the offensive end.

The two played together last season with the Lakers, and it’s clear some of that chemistry has carried into this season.

Freeland snagged two rebounds in six minutes and also blocked a shot in limited playing time.

Grade: A

All positions are noted according to the Portland Trail Blazers’ depth chart, courtesy of ESPN.com.