*NEW ACQUISITION
StartersDAMIAN
LILLARD
25.8 PPG; 6.9 APG;
44.4 FG%; 36.9 3FG%PG
CJ
MCCOLLUM
21.0 PPG; 4.0 RPG;
45.9 FG%; 37.5 3FG%SG
ZACH
COLLINS
6.6 PPG; 4.2 RPG;
0.9 BPG; 47.3 FG%PFENEMY LINES
A rival scout weighs inThey’ll be at the top
of the West again just
because DAMIAN LILLARD
is a unique talent.
Few guys are wired
the way he is in terms
of competitiveness,
high IQ, not being afraid
of the moment. He’s
elite shooting off thedribble, and that puts
so much pressure on
defenses because of
his range. It’s almost
a Steph Curry effect
where you’re so worried
where he is that it opens
so many opportunities
up for everybody else.
You just feel him all the
time on the floor....
He has a great sidekick
in CJ MCCOLLUM. I’m
not as high on him asthe numbers and his
contract say, but he’s
still pretty good....
HASSAN WHITESIDE will
probably put up some
decent numbers.
JUSUF NURKIĆ is pretty
good, but there’s a
lot of weight on that
[left leg, which he
fractured in March and
will keep him sidelined
until February]....
KENT BAZEMORE is fine.RODNEY HOOD is talented,
but it’s hard to know
what you’ll get day in
and day out from him....
Not a lot of free agents
are coming to Portland,
but they’ve drafted well.
ANFERNEE SIMONS, man,
he’s really talented. At
summer league he was
ridiculous. He and ZACH
COLLINS are going to be
great.... GARY TRENT is
pretty good, but he justshoots too much. They’re
missing that bigger
wing, a dynamic scorer
who can handle, shoot
and defend, and you
hope Hood can be that.
That’s what they need
to get over the top....
They’re in a similar boat
to Denver—a really good
team that will win a lot of
games and get past the
first round. After that,
things get dicey.TELLING NUMBER
The most successful ride of the
Damian Lillard era was marked by
53 wins, playoff theatrics (Oklahoma
City would never be the same)
and a trip to the conference finals.
There’s little question that the backcourt tandem
of Lillard and CJ McCollum has been the driving
force behind the Blazers’ success. In turn, much
of the defensive responsibilities had fallen to
their workmanlike wings: Al-Farouq Aminu, Moe
Harkless and Jake Layman, who COMBINED TO
START 167 GAMES last season. All three are gone,
and their roles will be filled by the inconsistent
Rodney Hood; 21-year-old Zach Collins, who’s
better suited playing center than power forward;
and bargain-bin additions of Mario Hezonja,
Andrew Nicholson and Anthony Tolliver. This
suggests a defensive regression for a defense that
was just in the middle of the pack. Is Portland still
a playoff team? Probably. But in the West, there
are few guarantees. —Jeremy Woo167
Projected Lineup
HASSAN
WHITESIDE*
12.3 PPG; 11.3 RPG;
1.9 BPG; 57.1 FG%C
KENT
BAZEMORE*
11.6 PPG; 3.9 RPG;
40.2 FG%; 32.0 3FG%SF
ANTHONY
TOLLIVER*
5.0 PPG; 2.7 RPG;
38.2 FG%; 37.7 3FG%PFBenchPORTLAND
2018 – 19 RECORD 53– 29 2nd in Northwest
COACH TERRY STOTTS 8th season with Trail BlazersSF
RODNEY
HOOD
11.2 PPG; 2.2 RPG;
43.5 FG%; 35.6 3FG%94GARRETT ELLWOOD/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (MCCOLLUM)Trail Blazers
∂49 wins ∂Lose in 1st round ∂The Anfernee Simons breakout will begin.THE
WEST
Crystal Ball: