Why Wesley Matthews Is Key To Portland Trail Blazers’ Second Half Success

By Nathan Grubel | Feb 15, 2015

Jan 11, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Wesley Matthews (2) heads down court after a three point basket in the second half of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. Trailblazers won 104-96. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

Success has been the name of the game for the Portland Trail Blazers this season, as the team currently sits at third place in the Western Conference. With a group of players that is able to play consistently on both ends of the floor, and arguably the most complete starting lineup the NBA has to offer, the city of Portland should be getting ready to host some playoff contests.

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All-Stars Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge will certainly have to keep up their quality play as the second half of the regular season gets underway, but they seem to always be at their best when the lights are brightest.

The Trail Blazers are going to need a third player to step up and be a reliable scorer as the postseason gets closer.

That player is guard Wesley Matthews.

Once an undrafted rookie who was seen as a liability on offense, Matthews has grown his game on both ends and has really become one of the most underrated shooting guards in the league. Matthews’ defense has always been reliable, as he is not afraid to clash with even the NBA’s best talent night after night.

Matthews has enough size that he can stand his ground with players at either wing position, and he has even stepped in and guarded some point guards when he’s had to.

Where Matthews has expanded his game the most is on the offensive end of the floor.

Matthews has established himself as one of the best three-point shooters in the league, as he is currently in the top five in the NBA in terms of made three-point shots. On the season, he is shooting 39.8 percent from deep on 7.6 three-point attempts per game, meaning that area of the floor is where he is most comfortable, as he tries more three-point shots than two-pointers.

Now this doesn’t mean that Matthews is exclusively a three-point shooter in the way that a player like the Atlanta Hawks‘ Kyle Korver seems to be. Matthews has worked hard to develop a dribble-drive game so he doesn’t have to just be left on the perimeter, and it has worked for him, as he has shot 53.4 percent on his two-point tries overall this season.

He even has a mid-range pull-up game, as he is shooting 43.9 percent from 10 feet out to the three-point line so far this year.

Matthews has developed into a versatile scorer and finisher for the Trail Blazers at this point in his career, and his hard work has paid off as he has transformed into a legitimate third option for one of the best teams in the Western Conference.

So why is Matthews the key to the Trail Blazers succeeding in the second half of the season? Matthews is the player that can get going when either Lillard or Aldridge is off or not in the lineup.

If one of the team’s top scorers cannot get in a rhythm on offense, Matthews can be that guy that can draw defensive attention to himself and hit some shots down the stretch in order to free up either of the struggling players for some better looks from the field.

Every great player needs a guy on the team that can bail them out in some tough situations, and Matthews has all of the skills and talent to be that player. No matter what, if Matthews starts to get hot from anywhere on the floor, defenses have to pay more attention to him because he has proven in the past that he can get on a roll in a hurry.

And if he is hot from three? Good luck shutting him down.

Lillard and Aldridge are fantastic players, but Matthews keeps the team going and allows other players to get easier looks because of the distraction he can be to another team’s defense. As long as his game is on point, there is no reason why Portland can’t keep winning games and potentially steal one of the higher seeds from the Golden State Warriors or Memphis Grizzlies.

Keep hitting shots Wes, the city of Portland is counting on you.

*Statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.

Next: Why Trail Blazers Have NBA's Best Starting Five

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