Portland Trail Blazers: 5 keys to winning season opener vs. Phoenix Suns

1. The defense has to hold

To quote fellow Blazers beat writer Raymond Simms of Hoops Habit: Portland averaged 107.9 points per game last season, but they allowed 108.5. That means for every point the Blazers earned on one end, they were completely unable to get a stop on the other.

It’s important to acknowledge the difference that Nurkic make guarding the paint, but Portland’s defensive deficiencies begin in the backcourt. Last season, the Blazers ranked 27th in opponent 3-point percentage, allowing teams to shoot 37 percent from behind the arc.

Of course, the Blazers know that they have to do better on that end of the floor, and they’ve made it a focus for improvement going into the 2017-18 season. In fact, the Blazers ranked sixth in defensive rating (91.9) over the course of the 2017 preseason, which is most definitely an achievement.

Next: 2017-18 NBA season previews, predictions and power rankings

The Phoenix Suns are a good test for the Blazers defense. With great scorers like Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker in the backcourt, we’ll see if the Blazers’ defense really has improved in time for the new year.