National Basketball Association

Portland Trail Blazers: 5 Midseason Takeaways

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:04 p.m. ET

Fansided, Jerran Anderson/FanSided via Hoops Habit

Jan 20, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

The Portland Trail Blazers snapped a four-game losing streak to get out of a slump. Here are five midseason takeaways as they approach the All-Star break.

The Portland Trail Blazers are 19-27 through the halfway point of the NBA season. The guards, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, are playing well. But the big men are still struggling to find their way, particularly on the boards. The Trail Blazers rank 24th in rebounds per game (42.6).

They snapped a four-game losing streak with a 127-123 overtime victory over the Boston Celtics on Jan. 21. Lillard and McCollum combined for 63 points with Al-Farouq Aminu and Meyers Leonard combining for 28 points off the bench.

After signing center Meyers Leonard to a four-year, $41 million contract this past offseason, he has yet to develop much outside of huge dunks. Granted, in the Trail Blazers’ most recent victory, Leonard scored 17 points and grabbed four rebounds. But he’ll need to be more consistent for the Blazers to even have a chance in the West.

Defense wins championships! That’s the motto anyways. But in Portland, the Trail Blazers have done anything but played good team defense. The Trail Blazers rank 27th in defensive scoring, allowing their opponents to score 110.5 points per game. The team is third in the NBA in fouls per game as well (21.8). Teams attempt on average 27.2 free throw attempts per game against Portland’s defense, which ranks 29th in the league.

Power forward Ed Davis hasn’t produced much either since signing a three-year, $20 million deal before the 2015-16 season. Davis did not play in Portland’s last game due to an ankle injury.

The Portland Trail Blazers will need to shake things up going into the All-Star break if they want to make the playoffs. Here are five midseason takeaways for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Jan 21, 2017; Boston, MA, USA;Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

5. Will The Trail Blazers’ New Rotation Work?

The Portland Trail Blazers have really missed LaMarcus Aldridge in the paint and its shown thus far. Small forwards Maurice Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu have stepped in to pick up some of the slack on offense this season.

Harkless has put up career numbers since starting in 42 of 43 games for the Blazers this season. Aminu has been battling a back issue but is still producing enough to earn a significant spot in the rotation.

Power forward Noah Vonleh and small forward Evan Turner have been inserted into the starting lineup since the team dropped three straight games. With Allen Crabbe, Aminu and Harkless coming off the bench, the team is 1-1 going into a tough stretch of games so far. Vonleh put up eight points, six rebounds and three steals, but he fouled out. Aminu put up 11 points and seven rebounds. Leonard went 6-for-7 from the field and 4-for-4 from three, producing 17 points and four rebounds.

The group made the most of their minutes and if they do more of that, the Trail Blazers will be much better off. The team is 4-6 in their last 10 games. They face the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 25, then the Memphis Grizzlies on Jan. 27 before facing the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 29 and Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 31 to end the month.

Time will tell if the new rotation will work. It will be interesting to see where the Portland Trail Blazers sit before the All-Star break.

Jan 21, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

4. Meyers Leonard Needs 24-28 Minutes Per Game

Guard play rules supreme, but big man production is still lacking. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum make this team go, that’s for sure. But if they’re off their game, so is the whole team. The two young guards haven’t gotten much frontcourt support outside of Mason Plumlee, which explains their 19-27 record.

Center Meyers Leonard is scoring 5.7 points and 3.2 rebounds in 16 minutes per game. Leonard’s numbers are down this season, but it could be due to the reduced minutes. He averaged 8.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 61 games last season. It may be time to start playing Leonard roughly 24-28 minutes per game.

Leonard doesn’t need to play starter minutes, per se. But, when he’s played minutes in the range of 24-28 minutes, the Portland Trail Blazers have a 5-2 record. He’s averaging 13.9 points and 5.7 rebounds and has one double-double in the same span.

The fifth-year big man was 4-for-4 from three and 6-for-7 from the floor against the Boston Celtics in the team’s most recent win on Jan. 21. He’s 19-for-42 (45.2 percent) from the three-point line in games he’s played 24 minutes or more.

Big man Festus Ezeli is still on injured reserve, he’s yet to appear in a game for them. It may be time to give Leonard a chance.

Nov 2, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

3. Evan Turner’s Role On The Trail Blazers Still Needs Adjusting

The Portland Trail Blazers signed point forward Evan Turner to a four-year, $70 million offer sheet. Turner has produced close to his numbers in Boston last season, but he’s still learning a new system under head coach Terry Stotts. He can still be a key piece for the Trail Blazers.

Turner revived his career last season with the Boston Celtics, averaging 10.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in 2015-16. This year, Turner is averaging 9.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 43 games for Portland.

He hasn’t had the greatest season shooting the ball from three (28.9 percent). But he achieved a season-high 11 assists in the Blazers’ 102-86 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 11 despite scoring just two points.

The forward has started in the past two games. He scored 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and two blocks against the Boston Celtics, his former team, on Jan. 21. He’s still trying to find his shooting touch but with increased minutes, he’s shown he can contribute to the Trail Blazers.

It will be interesting to see what the team will do going forward, especially with Allen Crabbe on the roster.

Jan 13, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

2. Allen Crabbe: Should He Stay Or Be Shipped?

With the 2017 NBA Trade Deadline approaching on Feb. 23, it may be time to think about a roster change. The first name that comes to mind is fourth-year shooting guard Allen Crabbe. With so much spending done by the Trail Blazers front office this past offseason, they have more than they need on the roster.

As Portland’s best young asset, Crabbe may be worth trading, especially for a big man. After all, Crabbe signed a four-year, $75 million deal in the offseason after the team matched the Brooklyn Nets‘ offer sheet. Not that Crabbe is playing terribly, but now is the time to evaluate all options. He’s averaging 10.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 28.8 minutes per game while shooting 42.7 percent from three and 45.4 percent from the floor.

Granted, he just signed a big contract, but Crabbe is a good shooter and wing defender who is still developing. With Evan Turner inserted into the starting rotation of late, Portland could explore what options exist out there for him.

One possible destination for Crabbe has been the Philadelphia 76ers, a team with a good young core. With both Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor vying for playing time, one of them is one their way out.

Jan 20, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

1. Damian Lillard Needs To Drop More Dimes

This is not a knock on Damian Lillard or C.J. McCollum. I think Lillard a great scoring point guard, after all, he is seventh in the league in scoring at 26.2 points per game. His counterpart McCollum is 15th, averaging 23.5 points per as well.

However, between the two of them, the guard tandem is averaging a combined 9.6 assists per game. Compare that to Draymond Green and Stephen Curry’s combined average of 13.7 a game, or Russell Westbrook’s 10.4 per game alone, and you see the issue.

The Portland Trail Blazers are 16th in the league in assists per game (22.2). If they want to make a playoff run, the key to wins is setting up their shooters for good shots. As the point guard, Lillard developing a pass-first then score-second mentality could help matters. After all, McCollum is shooting 47.8 percent from the floor and 41.8 percent from three this season.

Portland utilizing McCollum’s shooting touch could help improve things. Lillard and McCollum are attempting just about the same amount of shots per game as well. Lillard is attempted 19.3 shots per game, McCollum shooting 18.3.

Then there’s Allen Crabbe, who’s shooting 42.7 percent from three off the bench. But he’s only getting about 8.1 shots per game on average.

Lillard is still growing as a point guard in the NBA at 26 years old and he’s still learning to play with the guys around him. He does lead the team in assists with 243, but he’s 15th in the league. If he can crack the top 10, he can certainly put the Portland Trail Blazers in playoff contention.