Blazers Life Without Superstar Damian Lillard

Oct 7, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) dances with Trail Blazers

The Blazers Aren’t Used to Life Without Damian Lillard and Have Only Experienced it 11 Times During his Five Year Career. How is the Team Handling Life Without Their Superstar?

When Damian Lillard went down with his ankle injury in the loss against the Spurs, Blazers everywhere had to be thinking “What else can go wrong this season?” The loss made it their 5th straight and put their record at 13-19.

The Blazers came into the season with a lot of hype after a first round playoff win against the Clippers. Damian Lillard has been playing like a stud this year. He leads the team in scoring (27 PPG) and in assists (6.2 APG). With Lillard out other players need to start stepping up and living up to their contracts. The Blazers have the 3rd highest payroll in the league behind the Clippers at 2 and the Cavs at 1.

With Lillard out the last four games the Blazers have gone 2-2 with wins against the Kings, and Timberwolves. The losses were to the Raptors and the Spurs, and in both games the Blazers had leads. During those four games, the Blazers are playing through CJ McCollum and looking for him to be the go to scorer. They are getting more players involved on the offensive side and they have found a new energy on the defensive end. Here are some footnotes RCP has taken from the last four games without Lillard.

Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts . Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Stats Without Lillard

With no Lillard, the Blazers high powered offense has slowed down. Per nba.com the Blazers scoring is down from 107.3 PPG to 99.5 PPG, their shot attempts are down from 85.5 FGA to 76.8 FGA. The 3pt shot attempts are down from 28.6 3PA to 22.5 3PA.

The bright side is that the defense has stepped up. The Blazers have had the worst defense rating all year at 109.7 but these last 4 games their defense rating is at 97.8. Their steals are up from 7.1 to 8.5. After allowing 110.9 PPG this year, the last four games has seen vast improvement with 95.8 PPG. Also, the pace is down from 99.8 to 96.85.

This a lot of numbers and stats, but what this says is that the Blazers haven’t been terrible. In fact, they may have found a new way of playing that could lead to success. If they can add Lillard’s fire power and keep this style of D up, the Blazers may be able to live up to the hype for this season.

Apr 29, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Portland Trailblazers guard CJ McCollum (3) shoots. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

The Outstanding Play of CJ McCollum

With Lillard out, all eyes have turned to the 4th year guard out of Lehigh, and the 2015 NBA’s most improved player: C.J. McCollum.

He has been playing great this season. Through 36 games, McCollum is averaging 22.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.7 APG, and 0.9 SPG. McCollum is shooting 47.9% from the field on 17.6 attempts, 43% from the 3pt line,. However, in the last four games he’s averaging 30.3 PPG, 3 RPG, 4.5 APG, and 1.5 SPG.

In his latest performance, McCollum reminded everyone why he’s such a dynamic player. He put in a career high 43 points on a scorching 64% from the field. McCollum can only be gaining confidence with his play of late and when Lillard comes back, the deadly duo could lead this team back to the playoffs. The reason? Play making, on court chemistry, and the ability to catch fire any game.

Oct 27, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Mason Plumlee (24) dunks. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

Mason Plumlee has been Stuffing the Stat Sheet

At the end of the 2016-2017 season, Mason Plumlee will be a restricted free agent and the Blazers will decide whether to keep him or not. The decision is tough, as the big man out of Duke is having a career year.

Through 36 games Mason is stuffing the stat sheet. He is averaging a career high in points (11.1) and assists (4.2). He is grabbing 7.5 boards a game and getting 1.0 blocks a game. In the last six games Plumlee is averaging 11.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 3.3 APG. Plumlee has also recorded six double-doubles this year two back to back with Lillard out.

Mason opens the offense up with his skillful passing and a newly acquired mid-range shot. After taking just 54 mid range shots before this season, he’s shot 50 this year and is knocking them down at 34%. Not great, but definitely respectable for a new aspect to his game. That gives Plumlee the chance to be a better play maker than he already is.

Most importlantly, he has become a real weapon in the pick and roll. Plumlee has been one of the most consistent players on this team this season and if he keeps up this play, the Blazers will be re-signing him for sure.

Oct 7, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Shabazz Napier (6).Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

Shabazz Napier: Tradable?

The third year guard out of UConn is on his third consecutive team. He was the 24th pick in the 2014 NBA draft after leading his UConn Huskies team to the National Championship. Napier is young and when he gets the chance to play it’s often in blowout games. A lot of teams in the NBA lack a backup play making guard or even a backup that can shoot.

But in the last 4 games, his playing time has increased.. His recent stats aren’t eye popping ( 6.8 PPG, 1.0 RPG,0.8 APG), but his per-36 stats are: 18.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 2.1 SPG. Teams that are weak at point guard should think about acquiring the young guard.

I know it’s not likely because the Blazers have Lillard, McCollum and Evan Turner, but I would like to see Napier play more. He’s been a nice spark off the bench and I’d like to see him more. If not, Napier could be clutch in a trade package if the Blazers end up making some type of move.

Nov 30, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0). Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

Although Missing Lillard Is Always the Lesser Option, His Absence Has Improved the Blazers

Before he went down last season, the Blazers were 11-18 and had lost three straight. He wound up missing seven games and the Blazers went 4-3 without him. Without question, the rest of the team gained confidence from their play without him. When he came back on January 3rd, the Blazers rattled off a 29-17 record.

They had a head full of steam into the playoffs and beat the Clippers in 6 games. This season is eerily similar to last year. When Lillard went down this year, the Blazers had lost five in a row, with an 11-19 record. He might return against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, and I doubt he would want to miss putting on a show for his friends and family. If our All-Star returns, it could give this Trail Blazers squad a chance to create momentum in this new year.

All stats courtesy of http://nba.com and http://www.basketball-reference.com/