Portland Trail Blazers: 5 reasons they will make the playoffs in 2017-18

PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 2: The Portland Trail Blazers huddle up during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 2, 2017 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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4. The threes will fall

In July, the Blazers traded away Allen Crabbe to the Brooklyn Nets. Crabbe shot 44.4 percent from three in 2016-17, the second-best mark in the NBA. He did so on 3.8 attempts per game. That’s a lot of perimeter production to ship away.

However, the Blazers are capable of picking up the slack via a number of sources. McCollum shot 42.1 percent from outside in 2016-17, the seventh-best mark in the league. Lillard was right behind him, shooting 37 percent on the season.

From there, it will be up to rest of the team to knock down their threes. Outside of Jusuf Nurkic and Ed Davis, every player on the roster is capable of stepping outside and hitting a shot. Some players like Al-Farouq Aminu and Evan Turner haven’t been most efficient. Improvement in their shots would be a major boost for the Blazers get into the postseason.

Rip City also seems to be bringing in reinforcements. Anthony Morrow, a career 41.7 percent 3-point shooter, has signed a one-year, non-guaranteed contract. Adding him to the fold would go a long ways toward fortifying a perimeter offense that was already sixth in the league last season.

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