Portland Trail Blazers: Trevor Ariza is a great pickup

The Portland Trail Blazers are a team that is looking to make the playoffs. The trade for Trevor Ariza will help this goal. He is a tremendous pickup by the franchise.

The Portland Trail Blazers traded well when they picked up Trevor Ariza via trade. Prior to that move, the Trail Blazers were 19-26. Since the arrival of Ariza, they are 6-5 which gives them an overall record of 25-31.

What the Trail Blazers got in Ariza was a 15-year veteran who has played for eight different franchises. His ability to fit seamlessly into any offense or defense is incredible. It is the hallmark of a player who knows how to play the game.

In the 11 games that he has played for the Trail Blazers, Ariza has averaged 10.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.7 steals in 31.5 minutes per game. He has come into an injury-riddled franchise and provided them with quality play at a time when they needed it the most.

The secret of Ariza’s success is that he never looks out of place. He has played the game long enough to understand where he needs to be in any defensive situation. You can also look at the court when Ariza is on and not feel that he is in a bad matchup situation, ever.

Ariza can guard almost anyone on the court. His active hands and his ability to read the play have him sitting in fourth among active players in total steals with 1,569 for his career. He has already displayed this skill for the Blazers.

Against the Los Angeles Lakers, in just his fourth game for the Blazers, Ariza had six steals in the eight-point win. He has two games where he has five steals and three games where he has two steals. This is an incredible help to a struggling franchise.

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Offensively Ariza has managed to get his as well. He is taking 3.5 of his 7.4 shot attempts from beyond the arc, helping to space the floor for the rest of the team. He is making 39.5 percent of his shots from distance meaning that defenses have to respect his shot.

Ariza is also making good decisions with the rest of his shots as he is hitting 50.6 percent from the field. To top it off, Ariza is making his free throws at 93.3 percent. That is right, Ariza has a slash line of .506/.395/.933 since becoming a member of the Portland Trail Blazers.

However, the benefits of Ariza do not stop on the court. He won a championship back in the 2008-09 season with the Los Angeles Lakers. He knows what it takes to make it to the playoffs. He then knows the extra work required to become a champion.

Ariza has participated in the playoffs nine times in his long career. His voice in the locker room and his leadership on the court are going to be crucial over the next 26 games as they push to claim the eighth seed.

It is difficult to see the Blazers getting any higher than that but if they can start getting some of their injured players back, they might be able to push deep into the postseason again. Only time will tell but Trevor Ariza will be working hard the whole time, trying to help his franchise win.