Portland Trail Blazers have the right pieces to become a dominant force in the West – NBA Feature (Part 2)
Next season, LaMarcus Aldridge will be back healthy and truly don the leadership role for his young team. The off time will further give him the opportunity to work on his game and cover up his weaknesses. He has the potential
to put up Kevin Love type of numbers on a consistent basis for Portland.
With Aldridge in the driving seat, the Trail Blazers have a bonafide franchise player on the roster. It is now up to them to pair the right kind of players alongside him, to take the franchise back in the top 4 of the Western Conference.
Portland lost two key pieces in the team last season in Raymond Felton and Gerald Wallace.
Wallace was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in a mid season trade, while Felton was signed by the New York Knicks as their starting point guard after the Knicks decided not to match the Houston Rockets offer for restricted free agent
point guard Jeremy Lin. However, the Blazers still have some good pieces to build the team around.
Portland did a good job in retaining restricted free agent forward Nicolas Batum, after the Wolves gave him a four year offer sheet. After Aldridge, Batum is the most important player on the Blazers roster and together with Aldridge
forms a good front court combination. Batum has only played four seasons in the NBA, and showed consistent improvement during those four years.
Last season, Batum averaged a career high 13.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He is also a good three point shooter, averaging 39.1 percent from the distance last season and 37.2 percent over his career. Considering that he
will begin only his fifth year in the league next season, Batum is bound to improve in the coming years and will be a valuable asset for the Blazers.
The back court for the Blazers falls on the shoulders of guard Wesley Matthews. With the departure of Felton, Matthews will have even more responsibility on his shoulders next season. Matthews averaged 13.7 points and 3.3 rebounds
for Portland last season, only his third in the league. He shot 38.3 percent from the three point line and 41.2 percent from the field. His career averages are even better than that. Matthews will need to show next season that he is capable of being part of
the core of this young Blazers team, as they look towards the future.
The loss of Wallace and Felton might be felt by the Blazers next season, but the arrival of Aldridge on the NBA stage gives them a player to bank on, one who can be counted upon to deliver when the game gets close.
Portland now needs to plan around these players so that they have a chance of making a deep run in the playoffs in the coming years. They are not a top 4 team in the West as of now, but they are surely making progress towards that
goal and i will not be surprised if they qualify for the playoffs this upcoming season.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not represent Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
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