The Portland Trail Blazers Aren’t Dead Just Yet
With Damian Lillard out for the foreseeable future, the Blazers are headed for the bottom of the Western Conference. I would be more excited, but the Blazers don’t have their first-round pick this season. Yay.
Even with this season falling off a cliff, there are still reasons to watch this team. There is still life on a team that looked lifeless a few weeks ago. CJ McCollum returning from his collapsed lung was fun. Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little breaking out has been fun.
It’s not fun to see your favorite team be seven games under 0.500. But, I don’t think this team is dead. Yet.
Embrace The Future, Please
With Powell and CJ set to return to action soon, that brief period of a tanking lineup is gone. I will miss the days with CJ Elleby and Trendon Watford leading the bench unit. With the starters coming back, it’s also the end of the Anfernee Simons takeover era.
With the ball in his hands, the IMG Acadamy graduate from 2018 showed his electricity. His playmaking was off the charts, blending that well with his natural scoring abilities. Simons always found guys ahead of him in the depth chart over the past few seasons. With nobody in front of him, he gave GM Joe Cronin a reason to keep him around long-term.
Against the Magic, Simons attempted just 11 shots, his lowest total since December 27th. I don’t know what I expected with CJ coming back, but I don’t like it. Simons as a secondary option is fine, but he’s the future of this team.
It doesn’t seem smart to usurp his high-volume role in a snap. The Blazers have to keep him this offseason because they don’t have a first-round pick. Simons is the future.
Another youngster who I have enjoyed watching has been Nassir Little. Little was an extremely raw athlete when the Blazers took him out of UNC in 2019. The upside with Little has always been there, but the minutes have not. He’s breaking out with consistent minutes at hand.
A powerful athlete at 6’5″, Little bullies people while getting to the rim. I compare him to Miles Bridges a lot, with his ability to outmuscle smaller guards. The offense is limited right now with his lack of an outside shot, but the defense is where Little’s promise is.
His elite athletic tools make him a versatile defender Portland has needed for years. This defensive play against Washington on Saturday was excellent;
Getting Powell and CJ back is good for the team. The Blazers are better with those guys on the floor. With that being said, I want the young guys to be the featured parts of this team. Simons has flourished as a ball-dominant guard, so keep the ball in his hands.
Having Simons have to go back to being an afterthought on this offense after seeing him explode for two weeks is maddening. Nassir Little has earned his playing time, but Simons has, too. Even with Portland dishing out millions of dollars to their stars, it’s time to embrace the youth movement.
Instead of trying to scrape for every win possible with the old guys, why not do the same with the younger guys?
What Does The Future Hold?
The Blazers are in a weird spot with their rebuild. They’re still the 10th seed in the West, with enough talent to be decent. I don’t think a lack of talent has held this team back, it’s been other things. The Blazers have remained Covid-free for the most part, but injuries have impaired our chemistry. The defense continues to hemorrhage us wins.
The starting five of Dame, CJ, Powell, Covington, and Nurkic have played just 17 games together. Last season alone, that same starting five played 21 games. This starting five is a good one when together, but staying healthy has been the problem.
Although the talent suggests we’re better than 18-25, we should be rebuilding. Without a first-round pick in 2022, there’s no debating this. Drafting someone within the top 20 picks would give this team a real future. Outside of Simons and Little, this team isn’t teeming with younger players.
Trading an expiring contract like Covington or Nurkic would get us back real value. Both those guys are good and at least one first-round pick, preferably this season, would come back in return.
Interim GM Joe Cronin has talked about “retooling” for next season, but I think that’s counterintuitive. The Dame + CJ duo has run its course. Dame is about to complete his worst season in the pros – a trade conversation seeming imminent at this point.
If Cronin wants to rebuild, it has to be addition by subtraction. We don’t have the money to retain Covington, Nurkic, AND Simons. Simons is the #1 priority and while we traded two first-round picks for him, RoCo seems like the odd man out.
This team needs to be active during the trade deadline. The last regime under Neil Olshay wasn’t aggressive enough. If Cronin wants to “retool” some risks will have to be made. I’ve softened my stance on trading Dame, but if we want to make the playoffs next year, I need to see change.
There is a market for some of the players the Blazers have. If there’s a trade that gets us a 2022 first-round pick from a mediocre team, I’m leaning towards pulling the trigger. A dream scenario has us in the lottery, but I’ll take anything inside the top 20.
Cronin might not have the GM job for long, but this trading season is highly consequential to the success of this team in the coming seasons. What he does or doesn’t do might eventually kill this team or help it revive itself.
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