6 Things We’ve Learned About The Portland Trail Blazers
By Duncan Smith
Coaching Is A Strength
It’s becoming more clear as time goes on that head coach Terry Stotts is a big asset to the Blazers’ organization. This was a team designed to lose, basically, at least in the short-term. Stotts hasn’t allowed that to happen, and the aggressive style that the young Blazers play is indicative of Stotts’ philosophy and style for this year’s edition of the team.
A prime example of what is different about this team from a coaching standpoint is how the Blazers treat offensive rebounds. Many sharp teams eschew the offensive boards in an effort to get back on defense, not pursuing misses unless the rebound essentially falls in their lap.
There’s a great deal of merit to this strategy, as it’s the most responsible defensive approach, but when you are at a talent disadvantage on many nights (again, beyond Lillard and McCollum, there isn’t anything close to top-end talent on this squad), you have to sell out to maximize your opportunities on offense.
Hot take: Terry Stotts deserves of a COY vote or three
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 20, 2016
This effort has borne fruit in the form of the third-best offensive rebounding rate in the NBA, as the Blazers are grabbing 26.8 percent of their misses on the offensive end. That’s behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Detroit Pistons, but the Blazers do it different from the Thunder and Pistons.
The Thunder have a trio of skilled offensive rebounders in the form of Steven Adams, Enes Kanter and Nick Collison, all over whom have offensive rebounding rates over 11.5 percent, and the Detroit Pistons are earth-crushing offensive rebounders thanks to the rebounding juggernaut that is Andre Drummond.
You don’t have to crash the boards as a team when you have a big man like Andre Drummond who has an offensive rebounding rate of 15.1 percent.
On the other side of this coin, only two Blazers have offensive rebounding rates over 10 percent, with Mason Plumlee at 11 percent and Ed Davis at 14.5 percent, but four different Blazers have rates over seven percent. That makes for a total team effort on the offensive boards, and that is attributable to Stotts’ schematic approach to maximize offensive opportunities.
Next: The Playoffs Are In Reach