3 reasons for the Portland Trail Blazers’ current struggles

3. Bench production issues

The Portland Trail Blazers kicked off the season on a hot streak thanks in part to their bench. Zach Collins and Meyers Leonard showed that they made great strides over the summer, Evan Turner excelled in his second unit playmaker role and summer acquisitions Seth Curry and Nik Stauskas were knocking down shots from deep. Portland’s reserves averaged 40.1 points per game through their first 13 contests, ninth-best in the league.

However, things have changed. The bench hasn’t been nearly as potent as before. Collins’ production dropped from 10.2 points per game in the first 13 contests to 5.1 per game since. Curry missed four of the last seven games due to injury and Stauskas has struggled from beyond the arc. As a result, the bench averaged just 30.9 points per game over the last seven games, 21st in the league.

Depth is important for teams to compete throughout the season. If the Blazers want to get back on track, the starters can’t do it alone. The second unit needs to consistently deliver when called upon.