Blazer Beef
Mental mistakes by the Trail Blazers defense certainly didn’t help them in their last two games against the Phoenix Suns. Far too many communication breakdowns in the pick and roll as well as the bad habit of guards going under shots against guys who had it going in Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight.
The Blazers have a lot of hustle and they play hard for most of the game, but far too many times it’s the mental aspects of the game that have resulted in breakdowns. So far, the Blazers haven’t really had much rim protection in those two games, either.
Meyers Leonard’s early shooting slump is hurting Portland’s offense, especially when he’s counted on to be a major contributor offensively.
Blazer Bravos
Although I just killed them for their defense against Knight and Bledsoe, CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard have looked pretty good as a duo over the last three games. They really do have on-court chemistry and understand how to play with each other. Their game against New Orleans was a spectacular performance.
But we need to see if they can keep it up when they have to play backcourts that can really take it to them on the other end.
Portland’s new acquisitions Al-Farouq Aminu and Ed Davis also deserve recognition as they’ve probably been two of their best players in the first week. The Blazers have outscored their opponents when both have been on the court, according to NBA.com.
By The Numbers
2 — Meyers Leonard has made just 2 of his first 13 3-point attempts, which seems to be dragging Portland’s offense down a little bit.
96.8 — Portland’s offensive rating of 96.8 is 21st in the league has held back a solid defensive start for the Blazers. Portland’s defense is 11th in points allowed per possession.
25 — Damian Lillard has passed out 25 assists over the first three games while also averaging 22.7 points per game, which is exactly the same amount as CJ McCollum.
The Week Ahead
Monday at Minnesota Timberwolves (5 p.m., CSN): The Timberwolves have jumped out to a 2-0 start on the road following the passing of influential coach and executive Flip Saunders. No. 1 pick Karl Anthony-Towns has been better than advertised.
Wednesday at Utah Jazz (6 p.m., CSN): Their coach Quin Snyder tried to play down playoff expectations days before the season. Good luck doing that with the NBA’s best defense since the All-Star break last season.
Thursday vs. Memphis Grizzles (7:30 p.m., TNT): Portland’s lone Thursday night appearance on TNT will be against the team that knocked the Blazers out of last year’s playoffs. Shaquille O’Neal will no doubt call Meyers Leonard “Baby Sabonis” several times.
Sunday vs. Detroit Pistons (6 p.m., CSN): Stan Van Gundy has his guys off to a 3-0 start in year 2 under his guidance. Center Andre Drummond leads the league with more than 16 rebounds a game.
