Defense. Our biggest weakness on the defensive side has been Lillard and Aldridge's defense. They played 40 minutes each and were simply not good defenders. Now I hear that Lillard's defense looks much better in team USA training camp. I have a feeling Aldridge also understands it's his weakness and works to improve on it. If they can play just average defense and with the rest of the team all being good defenders, we could actually be a strong defensive team. Bench. Robinson and Barton already proved themselves in the playoffs. CJ looks to be much better. Freeland is a very solid big, Claver could be in the rotation if he even just makes free throws. Blake is a better fit than Mo, he isn't as talented offensively but should do a better job at running the team and creating touches and opportunities for others. Kaman is solid, smart, a good inside scorer and a good defender. I even think Meyers finally looked much better in SL. That's 8 players. I think at least 6 are worthy of actual playing time. Minute Distribution. We are very deep, much moreso than we were at any point last season. For me, that's an opportunity to adopt Poppovich's system of playing a very deep rotation, based on ideal match-ups on any given night. I would play the starters less minutes, any starter could play 40+ when needed but could also play much less. Not just in blow-outs. We have a very strong bench and there shouldn't be much of a drop-off. When you have 11 players you can use, where each one gives you different options and you are able to take advantage of that, you have a much better team.
Defense is about coaching and attitude. There is really no excuse for not playing better D on this team. As to our bench, I think it's decent. The key is going to be minutes and rotation. We have a glut at SG & Center and coach will have to handle that situation manly or it will be a mess.
Yup, and I agree with the OP about Aldridge. He seems to only go hard when he's defending one on one, his help D has been atrocious at times. If the Blazers want to take it up a notch defensively LA is going to have to have a renewed commitment on D.
I think the defensive efforts across the board will improve with fewer minutes on the court. Using the bench more effectively will allow LA to be more rested which translates to better energy on defense
I'm going to keep banging this drum... Wright was in the top 40 SF's in the league for PER, which suggests that even in a down year, he was actually a pretty decent backup 3. 82games shows several indications to the same (stats by position, net ppp, on/off court eFG). His biggest drawback last year was his FG%, which was his worst since his rookie year. At the age of 28, I doubt he's already on the decline; I think it's more likely that last year was an outlier. Not only will our bench be improved by Blake and Kaman, but by Wright returning to form. Bank on it.
Wright is what he is, a solid all-around player but one who doesn't do anything exceptionally well. I think ideally he would get bumped way down in the rotation.
In Aldridge's defense, we really don't want him in foul trouble, especially picking up silly fouls trying to help defend when our guards get burned. Our worst defense by far was our bench defense. Mo is gone. Blake and Kaman will improve our bench defense all by themselves. CJ, Will and especially TRob all should be better in that regard than last year.
You say that as though it's a bad thing. IMO, that is the definition of a solid reserve, and exactly who you want coming off the bench for a team hoping to contend. My point stands. Wright returning to his career averages will improve our bench performance significantly, and Blake's presence will make that more likely to occur.
That's a good point, but man would it kill him to attempt to alter some shots around the rim? It's so frustrating when he doesn't even jump with his hands up.
Lillard said his defense looks better in camp because he knows he's only going to be playing limited minutes so he can put out more effort. During the season, when our starters play 40 minutes a night, they have to pace themselves over the course of the season. Stotts needs to trust the bench more this year and the bench needs to come through, otherwise I doubt our defense will improve that much.
I'm sorry but LA picks up those DUMB ASS fouls when he swipes down instead of attempting to block the shot. These swipes are at least 2 of his fouls per game. I hate when he does this. He has a 7'4" Wingspan and only gets about a block a game. He should be getting way more blocks. And just because he's our star doesn't mean he gets a pass for having horrible help defense. It can be played in a manner where you don't get as many fouls. He just sucks at it.
Agree I don't like the swiping move either. I'd also like to see him improve his defense. Until we have a good backup and aren't so dependent on keeping LaMarcus in the game, he has a ready built excuse to be lazy on defense. If he and Dame could both pick up their defense and intensity, a luxury of being able to sit more in games, I think the Blazers could kick it up a notch this season. Hopefully our bench can take LaMarcus' crutch away and coaches can get him to put out a little more effort.
With Blake being able to play for a decent amount of time I think Dame will be hover around 34 Mins a game. This should help him on D. Hopefully Truck can give us good minutes behind LA to help remove that crutch. I personally think LA is what he is on D.
Defense. If this team improves defensively, they have a legit shot at making it to the WCF. The bench is going to improve as the young guys improve, but the team defense is the absolutely most important thing right now because shitty defensive teams don't win championships. Period.
