Last Week: (L) to Sacramento, (W) over Phoenix
If the Portland Trail Blazers are supposed to be winning over Damian Lillard to prove he can win in Portland, they’ve done a so-so job of it thus far. They lost in their season opener to the Sacramento Kings, but Lillard shot 0-for-9 from 3-point range and likely could take ownership of that loss himself. In their second game, they absolutely beat down the reigning Western Conference champs, a 29-point home demolition of the Phoenix Suns.
Lillard is just 2-for-16 from distance, and that reality will absolutely turn around. CJ McCollum has been brilliant carrying the team offensively, while Jusuf Murkic has been a monster on the glass with 13 rebounds per game. Despite Lillard’s woes they rank second in offensive rating and are slicing teams up inside. The question, as always, is if they will be able to come up with stops when they need them. Against the Kings, they could not.
First Impression: Live-ball turnovers. The Portland Trail Blazers have not done an excellent job of protecting the ball, with 24 total turnovers across the two games. Yet half of those turnovers are dead-ball turnovers; opposing teams are averaging just six steals per game, the fourth-fewest in the league. Last season they were No. 1 in this category with 6.1 steals-against. Not all turnovers are created equal and having the chance to set your defense after a turnover is a valuable proposition.