Blazer Beef
I don’t know if this is so much as a beef as it is seeing what the team misses without two of their key players.
If there were any doubts about what Joel Freeland and Robin Lopez mean to the Blazers, there shouldn’t be anymore.
The Blazers are still in the top 10 in rebound rate but have struggled in their first three games without Lopez, ranking 19th in the league in total rebound rate according to NBA.com.
Freeland is set to be re-evaluated by the end of the week and the Blazers could use another big man with the way they’ve rebounded lately.
Blazer Bravo
Despite their poor rebounding, the Blazers went 3-0 in their first three games last week. They didn’t play against good teams but the Blazers still played well on both sides of the ball.
As of Sunday they’re tied for the most wins in the league with the Golden State Warriors with 29. And without the two players who’ve started at center more than anybody else on the roster, they’ve had a top-six point differential.
Since the Lopez injury against the Spurs on Dec. 15, the Blazers have had the second-best defense in the league and the third-best point differential.
Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum are also playing through some nagging injuries. LaMarcus Aldridge continues to steady the ship and Meyers Leonard is really showing growth on the glass by learning how to use his body better.
The Blazers are doing everything people doubted they could do and then some.
By The Numbers
43 — Percentage Meyers Leonard is shooting on 3-pointers so far this season. He notched his second career double-double last week.
21.7 — Steve Blake has been a major factor in multiple wins this season but he is turning the ball over on nearly 22 percent of his possessions. Only Thomas Robinson has a higher turnover rate.
18 — Thomas Robinson has only played in 21 of Portland’s first 37 games but he leads the team in dunks with 18 on the year according to Basketball-Reference.
The Week Ahead
Wednesday vs. Los Angeles Clippers (7:30 p.m., KGW, ESPN) — The Blazers and LaMarcus Aldridge made crucial mental mistakes in the final two minutes of their Nov. 8 loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles.
Friday at San Antonio Spurs (5:30 p.m., CSNNW) — The Blazers took the last meeting between these two teams behind a career-high 43 points from Damian Lillard in triple-overtime.
Saturday at Memphis (6 p.m., CSNNW) — The Grizzlies handed the Blazers their biggest losing margin so far this season back on Nov. 28 with a 112-99 victory at the Moda Center.
