LaMarcus has feasted on this; he's averaging 9.6 rebounds per 36 minutes, a full rebound more than last year (8.6 per 36), which was his career best then.
Absolutely! In fact, I've noticed that he is starting to go after boards more. I think he understands the value, especially after the Golden State game. Last game, you could really see him jumping for all rebounds! Awesome stuff right there!
Aldridge is up to 9.9 rpg. At 22.0 ppg, he's about to enter that exclusive 20/10 club. And, all 5 starters continue to average career highs in rpg. BNM
Lopez has a lot of difficulty securing the ball, he can initially get his hands on balls coming off the rim all day long. If he could secure the board I think he could lead the league in rebounding; but having him tip the ball around and seal his man does appear to really be helping the rest of the team rebound.
The good thing is we're rebounding better in the end game. I think we could rebound much better in the first half of games but when it counts, it seems we're battling the boards much better after halftime. I'm an optimist every season as to the potential of the team and as George Carlin once said, "I'm from the church of I don't fucking know" when it comes to the playoff picture 70+ games from now. I do believe overachieving is entirely possible. One game at a time works for me.
It's a great feeling to know where are "bickering" over how close to #1 the Blazers will end up in rebounding as opposed to how close they will be to #30. Huge improvement in both defense and rebounding, with more work to come. I really, really, really like where this team is headed.
