Hoops Habit
Fansided

Portland Trail Blazers: Keys To Overcoming Wesley Matthews Injury

By Gerald Bourguet

Mar 5, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Wesley Matthews (2) grimaces in pain in the third quarter against Dallas Mavericks at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Wesley Matthews (2) grimaces in pain in the third quarter against Dallas Mavericks at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
Portland Trail Blazers
Feb 27, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Arron Afflalo (4) reacts after being fouled against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the fourth quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports /

Arron Afflalo

If there were ever a time to make Kendrick Lamar jealous of Arron Afflalo again, it’s now. That trade for Afflalo means the Blazers aren’t dead in the water just yet, but no one should make the mistake of thinking he’s a direct and total replacement.

Even if the Blazers had the bench weapons to replace his production off the pine, Afflalo probably still can’t singlehandedly make up for Matthews’ absence. A quick per game comparison from this season will tell you as much:

  • Matthews: 15.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.3 SPG, .448/.388/.752 shooting, 16.1 PER
  • Afflalo: 13.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.6 SPG, .426/.340/.838 shooting, 11.4 PER

“But wait!” you’re thinking. “His numbers are skewed because he played for a crappy, Brian Shaw-led Nuggets team!”

Perhaps, but Afflalo has been nowhere near as effective this season as he was last year with the Orlando Magic. The per 100 possessions statistics exacerbate the differences between Matthews and Afflalo this season:

Rk Player G MP FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT% TRB AST STL PTS ORtg DRtg
1 Arron Afflalo 59 1917 .426 2.3 6.9 .340 .838 5.1 2.9 0.9 21.5 103 111
2 Wesley Matthews 60 2024 .448 4.4 11.2 .388 .752 5.6 3.5 1.9 24.1 114 103

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/6/2015.

As you can see, Matthews is easily superior in the three-point shooting and defensive categories, two areas that are considered strengths of Afflalo’s game. The defensive numbers are probably skewed because the Nuggets were a terrible defensive team compared to a top-1o defense like the Blazers, but no one should make the mistake of thinking Afflalo alone can replace Matthews.

That being said, the only reason we can’t declare Rip City out of contention is because of that Arron Afflalo deal. He won’t completely make up for Matthews’ absence on either end of the floor, but he’ll definitely soften the blow and he’s proven in the past he’s capable of stepping up in the playoffs with a good supporting cast.

One thing that’s slightly worrisome: the Blazers heavily depended on a high number of three-point attempts from Matthews, a 39 percent sniper who took three more three-pointers per game than Afflalo has this season. With Afflalo only connecting on 34 percent of his 4.4 attempts per game, an increase in three-point shots could lead to a further decline in efficiency.

Luckily, Afflalo is also a career 38.5 percent shooter from downtown and has made 43.8 percent of his threes since joining the Blazers. Triple-A is probably better suited to replace Wesley Matthews than anyone, but he won’t fill the void entirely.

Next: The Dynamic Duo

Home/Portland Trail Blazers