National Basketball Association

Trail Blazers are Built to Withstand the Injury Bug

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Trail Blazers incredibly deep roster could become an issue later in the season – but for now, it’s great to have options

When playoff time comes in the NBA, coaches generally trim their rotation down to eight or nine guys. When the games really matter, you want your best players playing the maximum amount of minutes.

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As it stands, the Portland Trail Blazers have too many solid NBA players on the roster. If Head Coach Terry Stotts had to trim down his rotation this week, is anyone sure of Portland’s best eight or nine guys? Stotts will have enough issues giving everyone ample minutes before a trimmed down rotation. If everyone is healthy, and that’s a big if, the Trail Blazers will likely have a minutes problem.

However, Stotts’ deep roster is still a huge advantage against other Western Conference playoff teams. If and when injuries hit, the Blazers will be fine. They have a copious amount of options at each position. Even the backup point guard position has options this season.

If injuries strike other Western Conference teams, it could be catastrophic to their rotations and style of play. General Manager Neil Olshey put together a roster with so much flexibility that Stotts will have plenty of options to adjust.

Come playoff time, the crowded roster could be an issue for Portland. However, that’s a long time from now. Do not put it past Olshey to make a few trades once the season gets going. The ability to adapt is key during what can be a roller coaster of an NBA season. Once injuries and roles clear up, Olshey and Stotts will have a plan for the postseason.

It’s comforting as a fan to know how flexible and deep this roster is. A couple of injuries midseason will not set back this team significantly.

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