The shooting slump and the Blazers coming down to earth

Since Jan 1, Portland is .562 in 16 games. In that span:

Damian is shooting .349 from three point range (and .273 in the last 2 games!).

Batum is shooting .272 from three.

Wes hasn't really seen much of a dip, and Mo is actually fantastic right now from three (about the only thing he's doing well, IMO).

I chalk up Batum's problems to the broken finger. But something clearly isn't working for Damian. One thing I'm wondering about is whether Stotts should switch up the rotation, so McCollum comes in first and Lillard plays more true PG. Don't put Mo and Damian on the court at the same time so much. *shrug* Maybe letting CJ get in more of the flow of the game early on while the defenses focus on Damian (and the ball movement is much better) could help break Lillard out of his slump and help CJ find his way in the lineup.

A lot is made of our shitty bench, and it is indeed pretty bad. But Portland was winning a shit-ton of games early in the year with that same bench. The starters may be a little tired now, but I don't think that really accounts for Lillard's shooting slump. Damian is playing fewer minutes than last year, and he's shouldering less PG responsibilities, and he's not a rookie. Getting tired shouldn't be as much of an issue.

 

I think that you have to give credit to the defenses that the Blazers have been playing against for a major part of the deterioration in shooting percentages. It seems like the game plan has been changed from worrying about LMA as much to really sticking with guys on the perimeter and denying the 3 ball. Makes sense, given that the Blazers had been shooting about as well from distance as LMA was from his mid-range shots. Let's face it, the 3 pointers were the Blazers' edge in winning a lot of close games in the fall. Denying them as many open looks from the perimeter seems to be pretty effective in keeping them from getting any kind of rhythm going.

 

I think there is a lot of truth here.

 

If I were game planning the Blazers, I'd take away the threes and push Aldridge out and let him take all the long jump shots he wants. Sooner or later, he'll hit a cold spell, especially if you tire him out by making him play D. Is that what we've been seeing?

 

I'd also go right at Mo Williams every second he's on the court. He's completely helpless defending the pick and roll.

 

So then Stotts isn't the offensive genius so many proclaimed him to be earlier in the season.

 

Yea, because the season is over?

 

No, it's not. But you'd think he'd have addressed the offensive issues by now if he was truly an offensive genius.

 

Interesting strawman. Since Portland couldn't beat .500 Washington, it stands to reason that Portland won't be able to beat any team .500 or better again this season, since everyone knows how to defend us.

 

What can the Blazers get with Mo Williams and Meyers Leonard?

 

I think that the lack of perimeter defense is more troubling than anything else.

 

Not as clueless as Lillard. Mo defends the opposing PG when he and Lillard are in the game together. Damian has the athleticism to play much better defense, yet he's a huge liability on that end of the court.

 

I seldom get frustrated because of their shooting, but I do get frustrated with their stupid turnovers. When they make smart passes and they run their offense, then they get better shots.........and their shooting percentage goes up.

 

Mo defends the PG because Lillard is much better than Mo at guarding bigger players.

 

Haha. OK. Is that why Batum defends the opposing PG if Mo's not in the game?

 

No, that's because Batum is better at defending point guards. Those aren't the same situation though.

When you put two small guards in the game, the first thing you do is decide out who is going to guard the bigger player.

Batum is not a guard, so with him and Damian it's strictly about matchups.

 

He is an offensive genius, what he isn't is a defensive genius

 

A little bit. But "push Aldridge out" isn't as always an easy task. Until recent weeks he was facing up and attacking the basket more (when he wasn't getting deep post pos.) Blowing around slower bigs, backing down smaller post defenders. Teams couldn't just force him into shooting midrange jumpers all night. He needs to attack the rim more, for sure. But there's a lot involved in that. It's a big help for him to attack when the floor spacing and shot clock are in his favor. But the shooters aren't knocking down shots like they were, and Batum being nicked up has stalled that as well.

I don't think you can summarize the Blazer's recent offensive woes with how teams are defending us, but it does factor into the mix . . .

 

You just can't expect the offense to always be clicking. Opposing defenses are only going to get more tough going into and during playoffs. Still think the Blazer offense will do fine as defense gets more intense, they will just go through dry spells during the game, like other teams do.

The Blazers are going to get their points most nights, they got to start making it harder for their opponents to score because maintaining a high offensive output all game is asking too much.

 

I believe this is what Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith said would happen earlier in the season.