Portland Trail Blazers Quarterly Report: It’s Good, Real Good

STARTERS

Dec 2, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) speaks with small forward Nicolas Batum (88), point guard Damian Lillard (0), center Robin Lopez (42) and shooting guard Wesley Matthews (2) during the fourth quarter of the game against the Indiana Pacers at the Moda Center. The Blazers won the game 106-102. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

Last season the starters carried this team the entire season; however they couldn’t do all the heavy lifting and ended up finishing a disappointing 33-49. Now a more cohesive unit, the starters have really found a niche and it revolves around star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge and flashy young point guard Damian Lillard — last season’s Rookie of the Year.

Robin Lopez has anchored the defensive end and allowed LA to guard and play his traditional position of power forward, and the dividends are obvious. Lopez isn’t going to drop 20 and 10 every single night — you’ll be lucky to see that once — however his contributions cannot be measured solely from looking at the box score after the game.

Wesley Matthews is on his way to a career year averaging 16.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game — both of which will be career highs if he is able to sustian them. The most impressive part of Wes’ game so far has been his stellar shooting. The efficiency he has shown thus far has been amazing; he’s shooting 52.9 percent overall and 49.1 percent from 3-point range! His dead-eye shooting has not allowed teams to double team Aldridge on a regular basis, and they leave the lanes open for Lillard to penetrate and dish, or finish at the rim.

What can I say about Nicolas Batum; the guy does it all and might be one of the most underappreciated players in the league. His salary ($11.3 million) leads some — including myself — to expect a lot from him in the way of scoring. However, Nic’s versatility is perhaps his greatest asset and like Wes, he plays both ends of the floor at a high level.

Lillard has done all he can to avoid the “sophomore slump” that some players will experience their second NBA season. He’s showing that he wants to be elite as he is averaging 20.8 points and 5.7 assists nightly for the Blazers. More importantly his penetration are key to the entire offense as Batum and Wes aren’t the greatest at creating their own shots — though they have both shown a propensity to do so this season.

LaMarcus Aldridge is a SUPERSTAR. Correct. I said it. Mark it down. LA has taken home Western Conference Player of the Week twice already this season (5 times overall in his career) and maybe should have been named last month’s Player of the Month as well, but that’s here nor there. Aldridge is averaging career highs in points (23.1), rebounds (10.1), and assists (2.6) this season and looks like a lock to make his 3rd NBA All-Star Game in February.

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/9/2013.

Grade:

A