The Portland Trail Blazers Are A Mess
From Memphis’ dynamic backcourt to the incredibly dysfunctional Blazers, here are my thoughts from last night’s action.
Portland Trail Blazers (132-117 L)
The Blazers’ avoidance of Covid ended at the worst possible time. After being mostly Covid-free for a few weeks while the rest of the NBA died in front of them, Covid caught up like a bad penny. Nurkic, Covington, and Ben McLemore are all in protocols. A total of seven Blazers went into protocols, including head coach Chauncey “nothing happened in 1997” Billups.
With a thin roster and Scott Brooks at the helm, things went about as well as you expected. The game appeared to be winnable, with Dallas also being gutted by Covid. Then Kristaps Porzingis’ knees reversed engineered themselves to be functional again, leading Dallas to a blowout win.
The mood in the stadium quickly died, as the few brave souls to venture out in the terrible weather conditions were treated to ugly basketball. Dame was unexceptional. Norman Powell was horrendous. Only Nassir Little looked like he gave a damn out there.
This team is dead. They keep expecting a turnaround to happen, not doing anything to make that sort of thing happen. We are now 13-20, seven games under 0.500. The last time the Blazers were seven games below 0.500 in December was 2016, when we were 14-21 on December 30th. It’s been a while.
Right now, there are no answers in sight. Even with all the talk of culture changes, a new, revived defense, nothing has stuck through 33 games. Nothing is working. The fans, for the first time in decades, seem disinterested.
I’ll let Gordon take things away for me;
The Grizzlies Backcourt Is Special
Last night, the Grizzlies won a thriller against the Suns. How they did so was more impressive than beating one of the best teams in basketball. This season, the Suns have been near perfect in close games. Last night was no different, as the Suns made every play they needed to make.
But Memphis, in particular their young backcourt tandem, matched them step-for-step. Desmond Bane & Ja Morant are on the rise, both showing out in a statement win for the young Grizzlies. Let’s look back at this game, viewing just how good this backcourt has become.
Desmond Bane
Desmond Bane is taking the sophomore leap right in front of our eyes. After being a 3&D role player as a rookie, Bane is blossoming. His ability to create offense on his own and off the dribble has made him an exponentially better player. Not playing next to Ja Morant all the time has quickened his development.
Even while playing next to Ja, Bane continues to show how much he’s grown. With confidence oozing from his veins, Bane is taking the league by storm. Here’s everything I noticed from his career night in the desert.
Forcing The Action (ft. Handoffs)
| Desmond Bane Handoffs (2020-21) | 0.8 poss | 1.06 PPP | 0.8 pts | 47.1% score freq |
| Desmond Bane Handoffs (2021-22) | 2.3 poss | 1.05 PPP | 2.4 pts | 42.5% score freq |
Desmond Bane’s handoff actions have exploded this season. He’s currently third in the league in handoffs per game. Of the 11 players averaging 2.0 handoffs per game this season, Bane ranks 3rd in points per possession. Fellow teammate Dillon Brooks ranks just ahead of him.
Bane is getting SO many more handoffs this season, allowing him to force the action. He starts in the corner, getting the ball from the big. After that, it’s all up to him to make a play.
Things to like about this action
- Ja Morant getting involved in this action could provide even more wrinkles for the Grizzlies offense. Ja Morant getting a face cut to the rim sounds good to me. This sort of thing, where Morant sets a half screen for Bane in the corner, happens more in this game. Something to keep an eye on.
- Anyway, teams are going to start taking away this action. It’s too effective for them to just let it happen. So the Grizzlies & Bane will have to adapt. Here, he sneaks inside for a nice shot inside the paint. This season, Bane is shooting 45% from both the mid-range and non restricted-area paint shots. He’s not allergic to shots in that area, so he’s not going to be a fish out of water when teams overplay the action.
Using Bane off of inbound plays is another wrinkle they can explore. Bane still gets that running start towards the handoff, putting immense pressure on the defense. Booker overplays the handoff action, so Bane improvises. A sidestep 3-pointer is another way to counteract teams predicting what’s coming next.
It also helps that this three came at a pivotal moment in the game.
Adding Range?
Bane shoots 40% on 3-pointers 25-29 feet away from the basket. Bane shoots four 3-pointers per game from this range. Desmond Bane is turning into a range shooter.
32 points – 6 rebounds – 55% FG – 6/11 3-PT – +3 plus/minus
Ja Morant
It’s hard to be critical of Ja Morant for long. With his playmaking, gravity-defying antics at the rim, plus some clutch play, Morant redeemed my faith in his ability to play with the immense depth of Memphis. He was awesome last night, with breath-taking finishes galore.
Gravity-Defying Antics (in the clutch, no less)
Just your average double-clutch, off-hand floater in traffic. Did I mention he got fouled here as well?
That first angle is all you need. How is this even possible?
Playmaking
Ok, enough gazing at Morant’s alien-like athleticism. Let’s look at some playmaking.
*looks at play*
Jesus Christ, this guy is too good. I don’t know how on earth Morant got this pass through three defenders, but he did. He snaked through the lane, then sprung a great pass to an open shooter. Forget the result of the play, that was downright impressive.
33 points – 4 rebounds – 4 assists – 56% FG – +15 plus/minus
Lesson: The Grizzlies have a good backcourt.
Nathan Knight Knows How To Play Basketball
Reading this headline, you’re probably like…who? Since I have no life, I know who Nathan Knight is. He’s not a household name. You’ve likely never heard his name before. I’ll catch you up to speed on why you need to know his name.
- He’s a center
- He’s left-handed
- He played for the Hawks last season (and was pretty good)
- He can shoot
- He now plays for the Timberwolves
Some A-level background information, if I do say so myself. With Minnesota ravaged by Covid, Knight saw extended minutes for the first time this season. He made sure to make the most out of them.
Off-The Dribble
When you think about centers who can create offense off the dribble, you think of guys like Jokic, Adebayo, and KAT. While I liked Knight last year, I don’t remember him doing stuff like this. He made a couple great plays off the dribble last night, with this one being my favorite;
Defense
With Knight’s length and lateral quickness, I think he could prove to be a solid defender. He looked good at times on defense, certainly having more reps would do him good.
Ignore Josh Okogie’s terrible help-side defense on this play. Knight does a great job closing off Brown’s driving lane, forcing him up in the air. 9/10, this leads to a bad shot or a turnover. Boston scoring here doesn’t change the fact that this was great defense.
Minnesota played zone in the 2nd quarter and it worked pretty well. Here, you’d wish that Knight committed more to Jaylen Brown. He gives him way too much space to rise for the mid-range shot.
20 points – 11 rebounds – 4 assists – 73% FG – +13 plus/minus
Have a day, Nathan Knight.
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