On Dame:
Scouting report
+ All-NBA point guard who emerged as premier leader
+ Elite pull-up shooter with ability to get to the basket
+ Small defender whose effort waned last season
Analysis
The departure of
LaMarcus Aldridge left Lillard as the face of a younger Blazers team, and his effective leadership helped set the tone for Portland exceeding expectations. That success paid off for Lillard, who was left off the All-Star team but was voted to the All-NBA Second Team. That made Lillard eligible for the so-called "
Derrick Rose rule," bumping his five-year extension that begins this year from $127 million to $140 million. Lillard could have made even more but agreed with the Blazers beforehand to cap his salary at 27.5 percent of the cap instead of the maximum possible 30 percent.
Lillard's ability to score in the pick-and-roll and isolations is central to Portland's post-Aldridge offense. He pushed his usage rate to 31.3 percent, the league's eighth-highest mark, while maintaining an identical .560 true shooting percentage. After
Stephen Curry, to whom he's often compared, Lillard's 121 unassisted 3-pointers ranked second in the league,
per Basketball-Reference.com.
Lillard doesn't shoot quite as well off the dribble, making 33.9 percent of such 3s last year,
according to SportVU tracking on NBA.com/Stats, compared with Curry's 43.0 percent. Still, he's enough of a threat from deep beyond the arc to force defenders to play up, giving him room to drive. Lillard declined a bit as a finisher, making 54.6 percent of his attempts within 3 feet after hitting a career-high 64.2 percent in 2014-15, but he got to the free throw line 6.2 times per game and handed out a career-best 6.9 assists per 36 minutes.
The heavy load Lillard carried on offense did take a bit of a toll on his defense, as did not having fewer options to crossmatch while playing alongside C.J. McCollum. So while Lillard battles hard in the post and holds his own in isolations, he tends to struggle getting through picks and creates few steals. ESPN's real plus-minus (RPM) rated Lillard
among the league's bottom five point guards defensively.
On CJ:
Scouting report
+ Translated 2014-15 breakthrough in larger role, winning Most Improved Player
+ Premier secondary ballhandler who proved capable of running the offense at times
+ Better suited to defend point guards; poor defensive rebounder
Analysis
Few Most Improved Player awards have been easier to predict than McCollum winning last year. He'd broken out late in 2014-15, averaging 17.0 points as the short-handed Blazers lost to the
Memphis Grizzlies in the playoffs, and was due for more minutes and more shots after the team's offseason makeover. Still, don't underestimate the step forward McCollum took in his development to average 20.8 points and 4.3 assists, production that earned him a four-year, $106 million extension that will take effect in 2017-18.
Offensively, McCollum is an ideal complement for Lillard. He's a threat as a spot-up shooter, ranking ninth in the league with 197 3-pointers and ninth with his 41.7 percent accuracy, but also is capable of initiating the offense while Lillard comes off screens. Portland took advantage of the dual ballhandlers by running pick-and-rolls on both sides of the court after getting the defense to overload and also used McCollum as a backup point guard, a role in which he'd previously struggled. While the offense was less efficient with McCollum using a massive 32.4 percent of the team's plays when Lillard was on the bench,
per NBA.com/Stats, the defense was better and the Blazers went 4-2 in the six games Lillard missed but McCollum played.
Therein lies the concern about the Lillard-McCollum combination: Can they defend well enough to advance deep in the playoffs? At 6-foot-3, McCollum has the size of a point guard, so he can't easily trade defensive assignments with the other starting wing. He struggled to contend with off-ball screens and contest
Klay Thompson's shots during Portland's playoff loss to the
Golden State Warriors, a matchup the Blazers might see again in future postseasons.
On Turner:
Scouting report
+ Volume-scoring wing who needs the ball in his hands
+ Poor outside shooter; not particularly accurate in midrange
+ Above-average defender with size to play either wing spot
Analysis
Two summers after settling for an offer from the
Boston Celtics worth $6.7 million over two years, Turner cashed in on the value rehabilitation he did under Brad Stevens. After
Chandler Parsons chose the Grizzlies over the Blazers, Portland quickly moved on to offer Turner a lavish four-year, $70 million contract.
At first glance, Turner seems like a curious fit on a team with Lillard and McCollum as lead ballhandlers. Portland wanted more playmaking depth, however, and Turner fits that bill. His role could be compared to how the Warriors use
Andre Iguodala at times to initiate the offense, letting both Curry and Thompson come off screens. There are two problems with that plan. Most obviously, when Turner doesn't have the ball in his hands, he's an offensive liability. Turner shot 24.1 percent from 3-point range last year and is a career 30.5 percent shooter, allowing opponents to sag off him.
Less obviously, even in Boston, Turner wasn't a particularly efficient scorer. He's fond of midrange jumpers off the dribble and took 39.3 percent of his shots as 2-pointers outside the paint despite making them at a 39.5 percent clip,
per NBA.com/Stats. So even in his most efficient season as a scorer, Turner's .513 true shooting percentage was far worse than league average. His shot creation propped up the Celtics' offense when lead creator
Isaiah Thomas was on the bench, but only to an adequate level, and playing the two together hurt Boston's offensive rating.
While Turner's defense isn't necessarily a selling point, he's good enough to serve as a primary stopper when he plays alongside Lillard and McCollum. Turner doesn't have good enough lateral mobility to be an elite defender, but he's disciplined and executes the scouting report, so Stevens was willing to trust him with tough assignments. Turner is a good defensive rebounder from the wing.
