Though the Trail Blazers had a great starting lineup with a plethora of scorers on the team, yet they barely managed to make it to the 2020 NBA playoffs nabbing the final spot in the western conference.
The Portland Trail Blazers are led by their all-star point guard Damian Lillard, also known as 'Logo Lillard' because of the unlimited range he has developed over the years. Lillard can literally take a couple of steps from the half-court and let the ball fly, knocking down rainbow three's over defenders. Lillard can not only bury the opponent from beyond the arc, he is quick enough to get past defenders and off the floor to jam it down at the rim. Apart from Lillard's outside shooting & inside scoring, he is also an expert in playmaking the way he creates opportunities for his teammates.
Onto teammates that surround Lillard are C.J. McCollum. McCollum is a nifty shot creator in himself. He's relentless on offense as he wears down his defenders with his constant movement and is also a knockdown shooter from beyond the 3point arc. Though McCollum isn't one of those shooting guards who'll just explode at the rim with dunks, he makes up for it with his mid-range game and the way he can get by defenders to get an easy layup at the rim. McCollum is a slippery off-ball player who often cuts to the rim getting Portland those easy baskets and Lillard some easy assists.
Video: Portland Trail Blazers trailing a little
After a gruesome injury that took down Jusuf Nurkic, Hassan Whiteside provided much needed interior defense and rebounding that the team needed. But now with Whiteside off to play with the Sacramento Kings and Nurkic making a full recovery, it will provide floor spacing for the Blazers as Whiteside wasn't an excellent shooter.
And what a gem Portland got from their one year deal with Carmelo Anthony. Melo has always been a proven scorer and how Portland gave him another chance, he sure resurrected to most of his standards. Though Melo doesn't finish at the rim much, his mid-range game is absolutely deadly. And it is only a mistake to leave Melo unchecked behind the arc as Anthony will bury one on you.
Zach Collins is a young prospect that the Portland front office believes in. A 6'11 stretch 4 that has the potential to be a lights out scorer, Collins can be the game changer that Portland have been looking for in a bigman. Though it is early to say how he will turn out to be.
As I said, the Portland Trail Blazers do have a good starting lineup but it is their bench that has been lacking a little for the team. Players like Rodney Hood, Anfernee Simons & Nassir Little have only been a good Bench presence but not so much on the floor. Some new additions like Harry Giles III & Derrick Jones Jr. will provide some much needed explosion off the bench. But I'd be surprised if 'Logo Lillard' let's his team out of playoff contention with the way he can take over games and drop big numbers on any given night.
Current Superstars - Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum.
Past Superstars - Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden.
Past Legends - Clyde Drexler, Bill Walton, Arvydas Sabonis.
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