The Portland Trailblazers finished fourth in the Northwest Division with a record of 33-49. They missed out on the playoffs and are once again headed to the NBA lottery in hopes of uncovering a gem with the tenth overall selection. The Blazers certainly got themselves a gem last season as they scooped Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard with the sixth overall selection and they are looking to pull back-toback draft day coups come this June 27th.
The building blocks are in place in Portland, they have Lillard at the point, LaMarcus Aldridge at power forward, Nicolas Batum at small forward and Wesley Matthews at the two-guard spot. What is lacking for this club is a big defensive minded center. This roster-gap was almost filled during the offseason as Portland did sign Roy Hibbert to an offer sheet that was subsequently matched by the Pacers effectively keeping the big man in Hoosierland for another four seasons.
Areas of Weakness:
The weakest spot for the Blazers has been their team defense. They finished with the 26th worst ranked defense that saw them surrender an average of 106.9 points per game. The lack of a true centerman certainly hurt the Blazers as they used the undersized J.J. Hickson in the five spot.
Another significant area of concern is that the core of the team being Lillard, Batum and Aldridge all played heavy minutes throughout the season. In fact this trio logged more minutes of game action per game than any other player combination in the league. The lack of depth on the roster will wear these guys down leading to late season fatigue and to potential injury.
Draft Projections:
The Blazers clearly need a center who can play some defense, protect the paint and rebound the ball. I think that they are seriously considering Kelly Olynyk at this spot due to his hometown connections but ultimately I see the Blazers picking another big over Olynyk. Steven Adams from the University of Pittsburgh might be the best fit for the Blazers. Adams is a legit 7’0” whose offensive game is limited but who compensates by being a defensive force. He will protect the rim and grab rebounds with tenacity. Adams can run the floor and finish around the rim; however, his post up game is limited and his footwork needs work.
There are rumours around that the Blazers may select C.J. McCollum with their pick in hopes of finding the next Damian Lillard. The Blazers already have Lillard, why blow a draft pick searching for the next one, enjoy the point guard you have. A very intriguing pick here for the Blazers would be Giannis Adetokunbo from Greece. This 18-year old kid is incredibly gifted athletically. He can handle the ball, shoots well and can defend with his long wingspan. His slight frame, amazing leaping ability and huge hands might have some in the Blazers organization thinking back to a young Kevin Durant whom they passed over for the much maligned Greg Oden. Perhaps a chance to atone for one’s early mistakes; they could select Adetokunbo here and leave him overseas for another year to gain some experience.