Portland Trail Blazers: Who is the team’s third best player?

Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are clearly the Portland Trail Blazers best two players. Here is a breakdown of who has been the team’s third-best performer.

Though you can debate whether it’s an infallible blueprint for postseason success, it goes without saying that the Portland Trail Blazers‘ backcourt tandem of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are the team’s two best players.

In terms of getting buckets, there may not be a more prolific pairing of guards — outside of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in Golden State, of course — in the entire NBA. Both players have averaged north of 20 points per game each season since the 2015-16 campaign.

What Dame and CJ have been deprived of throughout their respective careers, however, is a reliable third wheel, and that narrative reared its ugly head again this year. To be fair, Portland was absolutely ransacked with injuries to key role players.

Jusuf Nurkić is still recovering from the gruesome leg injury he suffered last year on the cusp of the postseason in late March, Zach Collins underwent shoulder surgery in October, and Rodney Hood ruptured his Achilles in early December.

That forced head coach Terry Stotts to call upon a myriad of players at the tail end of his roster to log serious minutes.

With the NBA in the midst of an indefinite hiatus due to the coronavirus outbreak, let’s reflect on this season and highlight which player stood out as the best sidekick to Lillard and McCollum.