is Portland better without CJ?...probably not. Would Portland be better if they traded CJ for a high level starter at SF or PF? probably
but....
* since CJ became the starting SG in 2015, Portland has a .557 winning percentage which translates to an average of 45.7 wins/year
* over the last 3 seasons, Portland is 22-10 without CJ which is a .688 winning percentage which translates to an average of 56.4 wins/year
* in the two extended stretches of multiple games CJ has missed in the last 3 years, Portland is 19-7 which is a .731 winning percentage which translates to 60 wins/year
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obvious sample size issues, and CJ is better than he used to be, but comparing CJ as a 24 year old 1st year starter, to Trent as a 22 year old starter this season:
points/game: CJ 20.8....Trent 19.9
FGA/game: CJ 17.9....Trent 15.7
points/FGA: CJ 1.16....Trent 1.27
3ptFG%: CJ .417....Trent .462
eFG%: CJ .517....Trent .571
FT%: CJ .827....Trent .840
TS%: CJ .544....Trent .602
assists/game: CJ 4.3....Trent 1.7
rebounds/game: CJ 20.8....Trent 19.9
obviously CJ is a better passer. Not only that, Trent is probably guilty of more hooplock than CJ....and CJ is notorious for that. Trent is a much more efficient shooter than CJ was, but again, sample size. CJ posted those numbers after going thru the highs and lows of a season. Trent's 13 game sample size does not reflect any slumps yet
but just looking at those numbers as a adjunct to the eye test, I'd say Trent is a lot more Klay-Thompson-Robin to Dame's Batman. Meanwhile, CJ is a lot more Monta-Ellis-Robin to Dame's Batman....and we know how that worked out
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problem is, if you assume CJ traded for a SF or PF, who do you go with and what are you looking for while assuming the combo of Trent/Ant/Jones/Hood could cover CJ's absence? And how much of CJ's shot creation needs to be replaced?