There are a couple of key differences between the Portland Trail Blazers and the just-covered Raptors, and hardly any of these offer support for Rip City’s greater chances.
The Blazers were thin last year, buttressing a elite starting five with next to nothing off the seat. Bringing in Chris Kaman and Steve Blake does not feel as a great remedy.
Of course, second-year guard C.J. McCollum needs to see his role increase this season, and he’s got the combo-guard abilities to produce an impact. Head coach Terry Stotts is apparently leaning toward him as a sixth man; McCollum directed all Blazers reserves in minutes per game during the preseason.
For all that, it’s difficult to grasp why Portland is viewed as a larger name threat than Toronto. The Blazers’ convention is tougher, their bench is still thinner and they ended the year at only 23-19 after a start. Portland is a fantastic group, but it might not be more than that.
It’ll be around Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge and the rest of the starters to replicate that fifth-ranked offensive evaluation. If they can not do that, suspect defense and also an abysmal bench may ultimately hit among the past year’s biggest surprises with a painful dose of truth.
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