Hurdles the Portland Trail Blazers Must Still Overcome

The Portland Trail Blazers have played like one of the NBA’s best teams to this point. And you don’t get this far without making some enemies.

The city's pride and joy has come together as a force on both ends, ranked as the No. 4 seed in the West at 39-19. There’s been a number of thorns stuck in Portland’s side up to this point, but it can look to remove them down the stretch.

Some will be easier to jettison than others, but the personnel and character of this Blazers team should leave little doubt that doing so is possible. Most of them are key in terms of Portland’s status as a contender, while one or two may simply be a little irritating.

Get your tweezers out, Rip City.

The Bench

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Sorry, guys.

There’s no denying the Blazers’ reserve unit is hardworking and passionate, but the results just haven’t been up to par this season.

Courtesy of Hoops Stats, Portland’s bench ranks No. 25 in efficiency and No. 29 in points per game this season. This team has a plethora of scoring options to turn to in the starting lineup, so the lesser output from the backups isn’t too flawed.

It’d certainly be welcome if less pressure was on LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard to carry that load every night, hence the trade for guard Arron Afflalo at the deadline. His 14.5 points with the Denver Nuggets this season, and 9.8 for the Blazers thus far, will come in handy down the stretch.

Aside from points, the bench checks in at No. 19 in rebounding, No. 18 in assists, No. 9 in field-goal percentage and No. 1 in three-point percentage.

All of those marks are somewhat solid—especially the shooting percentages—but the lack of scoring is what hurts Portland the most. Chris Kaman and Steve Blake have been specialists in terms of rebounding and distributing, but even their offense has been unstable at times.

The bench has been the sole disadvantage the Blazers have against many teams before matchups are even considered, which really downplays the credibility of Portland’s championship quest.

The future looks bright, as the trio of Afflalo, Kaman and Blake is substantial, with role players such as Meyers Leonard and C.J. McCollum filling in during stints, which lessens the negativity that should be geared toward the reserve unit.

There's potential to insert a number of players and keep the offense or defense working, and it'll come down to the coaching staff trusting the reserves and calling their numbers. 

But as a whole to this point, the bench has been a glaring flaw if there’s a speed bump in the offense from the starting five.

Injuries

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Despite the multitude of injuries to key players this season, the Blazers have managed to remain competitive. A tight-knit identity on both ends has allowed the team to hold down the fort through adversity, which is a credit to both the coaching staff and the players.

Nicolas Batum has played through knee and wrist sprains, which has resulted in the least productive season of his career in terms of accuracy. He shot only 37.4 percent from the field and 27.1 percent from three prior to the All-Star break, but he has improved to 48.7 and 36.4 in the same categories since then.

Robin Lopez and Joel Freeland have missed more than 20 games apiece, courtesy of a broken hand and a sprained shoulder, respectively. Both provide defense and rebounding in the paint, and having them back gives Portland a respectable rotation at center alongside Chris Kaman and Meyers Leonard.

If that wasn’t enough, LaMarcus Aldridge has endured a torn thumb ligament that was expected to sideline the All-Star for six to eight weeks, per a report from Yahoo Sports. He opted to hold off surgery and deal with the pain until the offseason, in an effort to stabilize the Blazers during the stretch run.

There’s no concrete way to dodge injuries, as it’s an unfortunate part of the game. Regulating minutes is useful for fatigue and muscle strains, but some freak occurrences are unavoidable, like Aldridge spraining his thumb on DeMarcus Cousins' knee while playing against the Sacramento Kings or Lopez breaking his hand on Boris Diaw's head while playing against the San Antonio Spurs.

The Memphis Grizzlies

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A couple of players have established themselves as difficult to defend within Portland’s system, but the Memphis Grizzlies have been able to make that statement as a team.

In three games this season, all losses for the Blazers, the Grizz have been clockwork on offense to the tune of 104.0 points on 50.4 percent from the field and 45.9 percent from three-point range. No team has converted a better percentage of shots against Portland thus far.

Memphis has also averaged 23.0 assists on 9.7 turnovers, largely due to Mike Conley’s 17 dimes with just a single turnover over the two games he’s played.

On the other end, the Blazers have been held to 96.3 points while shooting 39.7 and 35.1 percent from the field and from long range, respectively. Wesley Matthews was an X-factor over the first two games, averaging 25.5 points, but was held without a made field goal on February 22 for the first time since December 22, 2012.

The personnel is certainly there for Portland to compete with Memphis, as both teams match up well to the point that each position could seemingly counteract the other. Robin Lopez has the size and strength to contend with Marc Gasol, Nicolas Batum has the length and speed to bother Jeff Green, LaMarcus Aldridge has a mixture of both over Zach Randolph, and the list goes on.

But it hasn’t been the case this season.

The Grizzlies don’t score a ton of points, currently tied (both with the Denver Nuggets) for No. 17 in the NBA and third-last in the West in terms of points per game. Courtesy of a pace that ranks No. 26 in the league, per Hollinger Stats, Memphis is able to slow the game down to a speed that complements its style and roster.

Ten of their 17 losses have come against teams that rank in the top half in the league in terms of pace, which more or less dictates how changeable Memphis is. But with a 58.8 percent chance to win by playing up-tempo, the odds are in favor of Portland speeding things up and looking to take the Grizzlies out of their comfort zone.

Russell Westbrook

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Portland has managed to go 3-0 against its division-rival Oklahoma City Thunder this season, though Kevin Durant hasn’t shown up for a single matchup.

In turn, Russell Westbrook has picked up the slack.

It hasn’t translated to victories, but the 2015 All-Star MVP has averaged 39.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 7.7 assists against the Blazers. Both teams meet again on April 13 to close out the series, but it is clear Westbrook has been able to thrive against their style of defense.

He’s converted just 25 percent of his three-point attempts, compared to a 44.6 percent clip from the field overall. His energetic and erratic style can force him to play out of control at times, but it’s a full-scale gust of athleticism every time down the floor, regardless of the outcome.

Damian Lillard has made strides to improve as a defensive player, but teams require more than one man to keep tabs on Westbrook on that end. 

Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum have covered him at certain points during games, and newcomers Arron Afflalo and Alonzo Gee can more than hold their own against top-tier scorers in the league. That isn’t to say either will shut him down, but it doesn’t necessarily have to all be on the shoulders of the starting backcourt.

In addition, the interior defense should be wary of open lanes for Westbrook to drive. Aside from recent acquisition Enes Kanter, the Thunder don’t have many low-post options to give the ball to.

Their frontcourt’s ability to crash the offensive glass and shoot from mid-range shouldn’t be questioned, but given the lack of interior scoring, Portland’s bigs can seal off openings for Westbrook.

Finding a defensive game plan for any of the NBA’s top talents is always easier said than done, but with Westbrook’s shakier outside shooting, logic would dictate that’s the best option to take.

If you can get that far against a superstar like Russ, that is.

James Harden

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James Harden has made an absolute mockery of Portland’s defense this season.

The Houston Rockets shooting guard has averaged 44.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists, converting 49 percent of his field goals, 42.1 percent of his three-point attempts and knocked down 86.1 percent of his free throws.

It’s no easy feat to shut down the league’s leading scorer, but the Blazers should at least be able to contain Harden’s production in some regard. It was a similar story last year, as he put up 30.3 points on 48.1 percent shooting over four games during the regular season.

But once the playoffs hit, the defensive combination of Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum was able to limit Harden to just 37.6 and 29.6 percent shooting from the field and from three-point range, respectively.

It’s encouraging to know that the Blazers have the personnel and a proven track record to defend him, but it just hasn’t been the case this season.

A concentrated approach to take away Harden’s drives to the rim should be first and foremost. His offense in that aspect is not only damaging in itself, but it can lead to perimeter looks for his teammates, as the defense collapses and he simply passes to the open man.

Defenders are then forced to anticipate the drive, which can lead to open jumpers for Harden, but that may work in Portland’s favor, as he’s converting just 29.2 percent of them, per NBA.com. But beware: 50.7 percent of his step-back jumpers have fallen this season.

Good luck, Rip City.