PORTLAND — Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard has had a pretty good start to the first full week of 2016.
He was one of three NBA players named in Forbes magazine’s 30 under 30 list and he is also expected to make his return to the court after missing two weeks with plantar fasciitis in his left foot.
Lillard has missed seven games in total, but the Blazers went 4-3 in those seven games.
“I don’t think there are any restrictions,” head coach Terry Stotts said pre-game Monday. “It’s always good to have your All-Star back in the lineup. And hopefully he doesn’t have any more setbacks with is plantar fasciitis.”
Above everything else that’s happened in the past seven games, CJ McCollum’s roaring success as the point guard and the focal point of opposing defenses has been the biggest takeaway.
Lillard told reporters at practice Saturday that he hoped opposing defenses will have to continue to pay more attention to McCollum and perhaps create openings for himself.
Stotts thinks that it will be a boost to Portland’s offense, even if there may be “some” adjustment.
“I think the fact that CJ was able to do what he did being the focal point of the defenses was very encouraging,” Stotts said. “Teams are still going to game plan for Damian and CJ. But to have two guys out there that can create for themselves, teammates, push the ball, shoot the 3, I think it really will help us offensively.”
The Blazers haven’t been bad offensively, ranking in the top 10 in the league in points scored per possession for almost the entire season.
Without Lillard, they’ve still played well offensively. Stotts thinks that now that McCollum has had the experience of being the team’s focal point and floor general will make it easier for the two players to seamlessly alternate between the guard positions when initiating the offense.
While McCollum had done plenty of that as the team’s back-up point guard since the first game of the season, we haven’t seen it as much when the two dynamic guards share the court.
“I think it will happen more organically,” Stotts said. “I think CJ will be more comfortable getting the ball and calling the play. Hopefully along the line like when Dame played with Mo Williams or Steve Blake.”
The Blazers will be home in Portland for 10 straight days after spending most of the month of December on the road.
After Monday’s game against Memphis, they’ll have four more home games, all against Western Conference teams currently in the playoff picture.
Memphis guard Mike Conley is questionable to play according to Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger.
