Portland Trail Blazers: 3 goals for Maurice Harkless in 2018-19

1. Remain consistent

At 25 years old and six seasons into the league, one of Maurice Harkless’ biggest stumbling blocks is his consistency. He has the tools to be a solid role player. However, his production has constantly wavered over time. For instance, in 2017-18, Harkless scored in double-figures 13 times, but also went scoreless 10 times.

This is something that Harkless is aware of. He candidly discussed his uneven season during his exit interview following Portland’s first round sweep.

"“It was up and down, man. I mean, it was definitely a roller coaster. You know, when it comes to the way I was playing, when it comes to playing time, just winning games, stuff like that, it was a roller coaster, man. And it was tough. Parts of the season were tough for me to deal with mentally. But I just fought through it, kept fighting through it, and things turned around towards the end of the season.”"

After stumbling in his starting role out of the gate in 2017-18, Maurice Harkless will likely get a second chance to start off the 2018-19 season in the same position. This time, it will be important for him to capitalize on the opportunity.

Harkless’ abilities and athleticism fit so well into the team’s game plan, and the front office has so much confidence in what he can do. If he can return to his 2016-17 numbers and do so consistently, the Portland Trail Blazers will be another Western Conference team that will be tough to deal with.