Closer to Ray Felton Closure

The Trail Blazers came into this game looking for a solid win against the Melo-less AND Chandler-less Knicks,  though the worth of the win itself and the lack of the Knicks’ starts took a backseat as Raymond Felton made his return to the Rose Garden. As you’ve maybe heard, Felton is widely loathed around these parts for poor play and a laziness many fans felt caused the disappointment of last season. Felton’s jokes about weight gain easily outnumbered the amount of solid games Felton had while wearing a Trail Blazer uniform; it was a year of torture for Blazer fans, though it became fruitful and lead to the Gerald Wallace Fire Sale, which in turn lead to Damian Lillard dawning a Portland uniform.

Felton’s behavior is much debated among league observers. Some basketball minds argue that it wasn’t Ray’s responsibility to be in shape while the owners locked the team out, while others consider that obviously unprofessional behavior. Portland’s fanbase certainly takes the latter position, and it’s understandable. When a guy seemd to do your organization wrong, it will always leave fans with a sour taste in their mouth, no matter how much you can rationalize the behavior.

However, it can be argued a lot of good for the organization came from Felton’s dark days. In a way, it feels almost like a karmic result for the Trail Blazer’s team. Gerald Wallace’s expiring contract became the 6th overall pick, which resulted in Lillard. Speaking of Lillard, the rookie shined in this game, which is becoming a trend. Lillard’s streak of 20 point games while shooting around 50% ended against Memphis, but he picked it back up with 26 points on 11-18 shooting tonight. More importantly, in my eyes, Lillard showed a knack for making plays for his teammates, posting 10 assists and 1 turnover.

Most importantly, Damian destroyed his opposing point guard:Felton. This allowed fans to witness the present good that may have came from a terrible situation. Felton, for better or for worse, indirectly led to Lillard, who is part of the foundation for a strong future. The Trail Blazers have the upcoming rookie of the year and a main core of LaMarcus Aldridge, Lillard,Wes Matthews, and Nic Batum. I feel much more confident in this squad than what the Blazers would be if they still had Felton, Wallace and even Jamal Crawford. Last thing to note—this was awesome:

That was incredibly crafty by the young point, and he’s helping fans get more excited about the future than hung up on the past.

Feltöndämmerüng! An outsider's guide to the least essential fanbase beef in the NBA

Maybe you’re like me. Maybe you’ve recently moved to Portland (coming up on my one year anniversary you guys!) or you follow the team from a distance. Hell, maybe you don’t even really follow the team, but you’ve heard a thing or fourteen about Raymond Felton returning to Portland tonight. Maybe you’ve felt a slight puzzlement over the fact that Carrie and Fred-ville has worked up such a seething vitriol over Raymond “13.5 points and 6.6 assists career average” Felton. Doesn’t it seem odd that one rotund and mediocre guard is the single-most reviled player by a specific fan base in the league? And what’s going on with this stuff—is Felton threatening people?

Never fear. I have assembled what I believe is a definitive list of articles, tweets, and photographs at the center of the millenia’s least essential beef. Presented chronologically, with brief commentary:

June 27, 2011: Blazers introduce Felton, a meme is born.

At the Blazers’ introduction of Felton, Nolan Smith and Jon Diebler, some poor soul unwittingly handed Portland’s stocky point guard a cupcake, thus building a nice little house out of kindling for any future sparks. Included in the timeline because this is the definitive origin of all the lame fat jokes and cupcake zingers.

January 6, 2012: “Trail Blazers are a team that wins, and watches, together”

Not many remember that last season’s bitter disappointment actually began with some promise, with the Blazers surging out to some early season wins and looking, however briefly, like contenders. This is a charming relic of that period by the Oregonian’s Jason Quick, who writes: “I still don’t know [Felton] very well, but what I do know of him, I like.”

He discusses Felton’s straight-forward, sometimes aggressive manner of handling the media, and addresses Felton’s weight. While interim GM Chad Buchanan and Nate McMillan do say they wish Felton was in better shape after the lockout, the concerns are low-frequency here. Choice Felton quotes: “I came to training camp not necessarily overweight, but not at my playing weight that I’m used to….“The trainer the other day said, ‘Dang Ray, you getting slim.’ I was like, ‘Now, is that a compliment or … how should I take that statement?’’’

February 11, 2012: “Clock Runs out on Felton”

You feel that whiplash? That’s right, scarcely more than a month after the Blazers are leading the Western Conference and the locker room air is positively thick with bonhomie, things have turned. Quick, like many others, points the finger at Felton: “The answer is obvious: It’s time for Felton to be benched.”

At this point, Felton is already to bristling about question of his poor play. When Quick asks him where his head is following a particularly rough loss, Felton responds “What kind of question is that?” In the lockout-compressed season, it seems, the schedule added to a feelings of desperation, and this article reads like everybody’s starting to feel sort of trapped in a pressure cooker.

Mar 14, 2012 (Happy 1st Birthday, Stupid Felton Beef!): The trade deadline

In an ESPN.com chat, Chad Ford airs rumors that have been circulating for some time in Portland: Raymond Felton and Jamal Crawford have “quietly orchestrated a mutiny” against Nate McMillan. Quick, with the treadline approaches, tweets “If Blazers trade Felton they have a chance to make playoffs. Guy is a cancer and a crappy player. Bottom line. Period.” This is all seems very prescient considering that on…

March 15, 2012: The Blazers fire coach Nate McMillan With the Blazers having posted perhaps the single most disappointing season in the league, Nate is put out to pasture.

April 5, 2012: “Keep it 100”

After a strongish outing under interim coach Kaleb Canales, Ray Felton issues a challenge to the haterz that may outlive even CupcakeGate. “Words don’t break me,” Felton said. “I stay right off Pearl District, in the Indigo, if you want to come see me.” When a few of his teammates laughed at the apparent challenge, Felton said: “I’m going to keep it 100 with them, you feel me?” This is not exactly MacBeth’s “tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” speech; if the blood for the Blazers’ season is on Ray’s hands, he’s not real concerned about it.

April 28, 2012: LaMarcus Speaks

After the season, in an interview with Quick, Aldridge acknowledges that the team was splintered in the locker room and that discontent with McMillan, from Felton in particular, was a huge reason why. Aldridge says “I went to Ray and I’m like, ‘Hey, forget Nate. I know you don’t like him, but let’s play. Do you want to be here for five years? Then show us.’” That LaMarcus was comfortable specifically addressing Felton on the record is telling, and gives weight to the “cancer” tag and the “quiet mutiny” accusations.

Jun 19, 2012: “Droppin 50 on ‘em”

In a video puff piece from his camp in South Carolina, Raymond Felton takes a few shots at the Portland media, saying “I’m a free agent so maybe those bloggers and those people who write won’t have to see me again. Maybe they won’t, until I’m coming in on the other end and droppin’ 50 on ‘em.” My reaction is :| linemouth forever. I’m sure this measured lack of antagonism was carefully crafted by Felton’s handlers to keep things from spilling into an immensely stupid soap opera.

The Present: Feltöndämmerüng!

With Portland breathlessly awaiting the return of their archnemesis yesterday, things get heated. First, Felton tells New York reporters that “certain people” in Portland “better not come near” him. This is, to say the least, unusual. I’m not sure what the precedent is for NBA players threatening media members through other media members, but I can’t imagine it’s a long list. Lest you think maybe this is NOT a media member Felton is addressing, he later tells Chris Haynes: “They know who I was talking about. They better not come by me or ask me a question. I’ve already let people know. You can’t put out lies like that and expect me to talk to you.”

Meanwhile, Quick pens the definitive Felton takedown, drily urging fans to cheer Felton because, basically, without him sucking so much the Blazers wouldn’t be any fun at all. This is just a great series of burns.

Finally, this morning’s BlazersEdge cover.

So there you have it. I have wasted maybe two hours of my life compiling something like a causal series of incidents and articles that might explain why such an inessential player draws the ire of a fanbase with a long history and way more brutal disappointments than Raymond Felton. I hope this has convinced you that all the time and energy Portland fans are spending thinking about Raymond Felton and vice versa is well worth it.

Preview: Knicks @ Blazers

The New York Knicks visit Portland tonight only hours removed from the double digit loss to the Denver Nuggets in which Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler were lost to injuries. Amare Stoudemire is unlikely to play tonight as well after sitting last night in Denver. New York will have to turn to J.R. Smith and Raymond Felton, who returns to the Rose Garden for the first time since wearing a Blazer uniform, to carry the scoring load.

Raymond Felton, who often appeared out of shape last year, received much of the blame for the failures of the Trail Blazers last season. It’s common for a player to downplay their return to a former team, but it’s safe to assume Felton will bring a little extra motivation to the game tonight.

Portland has lost two games in a row and is on the second game of a three game home stand. The Blazers will look to take advantage of the shorthanded Knicks tonight. In a 105-100 victory in New York on New Year’s Day the Blazers relied on their starters to carry the load. LaMarcus Aldridge, who scored 19 points and gathered 14 rebounds in the last meeting, will look to exploit the lack of interior defense tonight.

As the Trail Blazers fall farther out of contention for the playoffs, it will be interesting to see how Terry Stott’s rotation is affected. Expect more minutes for Meyers Leonard and Will Barton as front office looks to the future and contemplates how to use the team’s cap space this offseason.

Mixed Results in the Crunch

Simply put, Terry Stotts designs a beautiful offence.

The Trail Blazers head coach is known around the league as an innovative offensive mind who finds creative ways to put his players in situations that favor them. Stotts also, to a degree, allows his players the freedom to operate within the offence and empowers them to make decisions and find the right shots.

When you think of a Terry Stotts’ offence, you think of movement, subtlety and misdirection. However, the play we are going to look at today is almost the complete opposite; it’s a brute force attack on one specific area of the court, and the Blazers have gone to it again and again in late game situations. 

Here’s the play in real time from last night’s game: 

Stotts has called this sideline out of bounds play on numerous occasions, most memorably in last month’s loss to the Lakers (Nic Batum stepped on the line and it was ruled a two), in last week’s loss to the Grizzlies (Tony Allen blocked Nic Batum’s three point attempt, and then did some sort of interpretive dance), and as the last play Sunday’s loss to New Orleans:

The first option is clear enough, to get Batum or Matthews a decent look at a corner three, and it’s a shot that Stotts evidently trusts either of those two to take, and the play is effective in terms of creating that specific shot.

Let’s take a closer look at the play, and also at a secondary option. 

The eventual shooter, Nic Batum in this case, starts out high and will sprint off two staggered flare screens to the short corner. Damian Lilliard sets the first screen, which will become important when we look at the second option. 

If you watch the way Memphis defends this, it looks as if they know what’s coming. As Batum sets up, watch how Tayshaun Prince angles himself to avoid both screens, and basically puts himself in a foot race to the corner with Batum. At the same time Tony Allen is guarding the inbounder and is set up to make the pass to the corner as difficult as possible. 

Contrast this with the way New Orleans defends the play: guarding the inbounder tight; chasing the shooter through both screens; and eventually forcing Anthony Davis switch out onto Wes to defend the shot. Now even though both of the shots missed, you can see the difference that preparation and scouting can make, and perhaps gain some insight into why Memphis and New Orleans are at different ends of the spectrum when it comes to the strength of their defence.

As alluded to earlier, the second option of this play is for Damian Lillard, who is responsible for setting the initial screen.

Lilliard has two screen options, and on this play it looks like either could have resulted in a better look than Nic got in the corner.

 

Full credit to the Memphis Grizzlies, they defended the play extremely well. It will be interesting to see how the Blazers adjust to this kind of defensive coverage going forward. 

Post-game Journal: Inverted Karenina

Nineteen games left in my first season covering an NBA team, I wonder if there is something of an inverse Anna Karenina principle at work in the league: All losing teams are alike; each winning team is successful in its own unique way.

When an NBA team is winning, it feels like alchemy. Players are falling back on old clichés in their responses, but the dead and dusty phrases feel imbued with a talismanic sort of quality. Here a koan about discipline and taking things one day at a time feels like a sort of insistence upon emotional balance; there a player shaking off the occasional loss feels like the purgation of doubt from the clean locker room. But when a team starts losing, clichés and bromides start to pile up in every corner, crowding in front of lockers and making it difficult to slither through the media swarm waiting on changing players.

After tonight’s loss to Memphis, I was in search of some glimmer of meaning as the team’s season starts to slip away. This Blazers team has been marked by a charming kind of stubbornness, a way of pursuing unconvincing or improbable wins with a patchwork roster as cynics or detractors or wise observers insisted that what they were doing was foolish or impossible. As that cynicism or wisdom begins to prove itself prescient, I was hoping to find some nugget that showed the Blazers grappling with an erosion of their sense of self, some frustration or desperation or perhaps a surprising dedication to principle. But I found the same things you find when a team is winning.

Terry Stotts started his post-game a little softer voiced than usual, a little redder in the eye. He was purposely obtuse a few times: a reporter asked what had happened to Nic Batum’s scoring, and Stotts said “I believe it’s down;” another reporter asked what effect that had on the team, Stotts said “we score less.” But this is garden-variety media cat-and-mouse, a losing coach deciding not to bite on a regular beat reporter question one night. This is a coach’s prerogative, and I think most indulge it every so often.

In the locker room, things were much the same. A little terse, sure, but a recognizable vibe. It’s silly to expect more. Before the season, I had a kind of private fantasy that I might decode the player interaction the way, say, an interviewer for The Paris Review draws an author out on his philosophy of perspective. Just the right question, and LaMarcus Aldridge might say “You’re exactly right to point that out, and as I age I have become less convinced of the whole notion of direct post-ups!” I’ve long since realized how stupid the idea is, but it’s hard not to try and dig deeper than the media scrum superficiality when the season seems at a natural inflection point.

It was in that spirit I approached Will Barton while reporters crowded around Damian Lillard’s locker. Will is one of the more effusive presences in the locker room, one of the most likely to engage journalists beyond the standard obligations. I asked him how, in his first season, he dealt with the idea of falling out of a playoff race. He gave me a blank kind of look. I clarified—you know, how do you keep urgency from settling into panic, or harness your intensity? I believe he said, quite literally, to take it one game at a time. It was an embarrassed sort of interaction; he looked past me, in a way that’s not typical for him, and I floundered to prod him into some of his usual easy familiarity. Nothing doing.

As is often the case, an indirect interaction with Damian Lillard was the most clarifying of the night. In the media scrum, he fended off a few invitations to sound an alarm about the standings. A reporter asked him whether the Blazers could learn from the Grizzlies, and he said an interesting thing: “I wouldn’t say learn from them, no.”

This is exactly right. The code of locker room communication is about refusing to admit that your methods are incorrect, that you have something to learn. You might incorporate certain lessons and use them as generic billboard material, but your approach is never wrong. You don’t learn from an opponent, because they don’t know anything you don’t. They just won.

And that’s why the idea of finding players reflecting on a season slipping away is almost a paradox. Because the difference between winning and losing is just the difference between winning and losing. The platitudes at hand don’t change, the mixed façade of humility and total confidence never wavers. There are always little things we can get better at, we’re never happy, whatever happens we’re a proud team, we’re just focused on the Knicks right now.

This whole thing, I realize, serves to make winning all the more miraculous. For a stretch, the whole game is validated; mundane discipline really does feel paramount, and it really does become crucial not to overextend one’s emotional energies worrying about the later parts of the schedule. The spectrum of acceptable communication in the NBA seems to preclude the possibility of organic excitement taking root, but somehow it does. Somehow all the same bare tropes that imprison a losing team are bolstering a winning one.

This is why I’m beginning to suspect that all losing teams are alike and all winning teams are unique. Losing teams, through whatever degree of dysfunction or simple mediocrity, are leaning on the same dull faith, and the message is the same in most any losing locker room, barring a major off-court catastrophe. But when lightning strikes and winning takes root, successful teams find ways to sustain the mirage, to keep the fire lit, and make their identity in how they hold fast. 

Memphis 102-Portland 97: BLAZERS FALL IN DEFENSIVE STRUGGLE

Memphis Grizzlies

102

Final Recap | Box Score

97

Portland Trail Blazers

	LaMarcus Aldridge, PF 40 MIN | 10-19 FG | 8-8 FT | 10 REB | 4 AST | 1 STL | 4 BLK | 4 TO | 28 PTS | +8 Lots of energy, but seemed too wrapped-up in personal battle with Zach Randolph at times.
	Nicolas Batum, SF 41 MIN | 0-5 FG | 4-4 FT | 10 REB | 2 AST | 2 STL | 2 BLK | 3 TO | 4 PTS | +6 Seems lost at this point; wrist is clearly hampering what Batum can do. Seemed tentative to shoot, and made questionable decision all night.
	J.J. Hickson, C 26 MIN | 3-10 FG | 2-2 FT | 9 REB | 0 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 8 PTS | -16 Good energy as usual, but seemed off from the start. Got off to a nice start, recording six quick points, but faded off after that.
	Damian Lillard, PG 39 MIN | 8-17 FG | 8-8 FT | 1 REB | 7 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 27 PTS | -4 Despite struggling mightily during the second and third quarter, Lillard proved why is the clear leader for Rookie Of The Year. He battled through tenacious defense by Mike Conley to provide a steady source of points and keep Portland close late.
	Wesley Matthews, SG 34 MIN | 3-10 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 8 PTS | -13 It’s actually painful to watch Matthews at this point. His injuries are too numerous to name, and when his three-point shot is not falling, the rest of his game is simply too limited, whether due to the pain or otherwise.
	Joel Freeland, PF 6 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | -5 Showed good energy in the first half; didn’t look as lost as he has in the past.
	Meyers Leonard, C 17 MIN | 3-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 7 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 6 PTS | -2 Nice return from his ankle injury; showed a nice mid-range game, and despite missing a couple jumpers, I like the willingness to take the shot. Was outclassed by Marc Gasol, but held up better than the previous meeting.
	Eric Maynor, PG 26 MIN | 3-8 FG | 5-5 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 11 PTS | +7 Continues to impress, added veteran savvy. Helped keep the game close, when it appeared things were getting out of hand.
	Will Barton, SG 11 MIN | 1-3 FG | 1-2 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 3 PTS | -6 Lots of energy, but still WAY too interested in his own shot at this point. If he can learn to harness, could be a valuable asset off the bench.

Five Things We Saw

1. When Damian Lillard is pressured at the top of the key, Portland’s offense really struggles. Mike Rice put it well during the broadcast, when he said it’s a “cut off the head, watch the body die.” While Lillard still got his points, the offense was out of rhythm for the majority of the night.
2. It may well be time for Batum and Matthews to shut it down for a while. At this point in the season, every player is dinged up, but these two in particular seem to be shells of themselves. Batum, seems to have lost any and all confidence with his wrist issues. Matthews, who has a myriad of injuries, is agonizing to watch at this point.
3. For all intents and purposes, the season looks to be headed towards to the lottery, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Guys like Joel Freeland (who had a decent run in the first half) and Meyers Leonard need reps, and their should be plenty of opportunities. Leonard had a nice game offensively, but again struggled on defensive rotations. Match-ups with guys of Marc Gasol’s caliber are fantastic learning opportunities for the young guy, but a bit tough on fans.
4. Memphis GM Chris Wallace should be considered for GM of the year. At the time, trading Rudy Gay seemed to some like the the Grizzlies were throwing in the towel. However, this team is rolling, and they seem to have shredded any last bit of selfishness that may have plagued them with Gay in the lineup. Now sitting at 43-19, having won 13 of their last 14, the Grizzlies look to be a major contender in the western conference come playoff time.
5. Despite the loss, you have to like the lineup of Maynor and Lillard on the floor. It will take some time to really jell, but what Maynor brings to the table cannot be under-estimated. Throw in the budding savvy of Victor Claver when he returns, and there is definitely potenital with the mixing of the first and second units.

PREVIEW: BLAZERS VS. GRIZZLIES

Portland welcomes the Memphis Grizzlies to the Rose Garden tonight, looking to avenge a heart-breaking, late-game collapse in last week’s loss in Memphis. The Grizzlies, riding a four-game win streak, bring the NBA’s number-one scoring defense into tonight’s matchup, giving up just 89 points per game on the season.

Memphis is having the best season in franchise history to this point at 42-19, and have won 12 of their last 13 games. They have done this despite missing All-star (and, of course, former Blazer) Zach Randolph for large chunks of the season. Mid-season acquisition Tayshaun Prince has played a big role in keeping the Grizzlies rolling in Randolph’s absence, and another former Blazer, Jerryd Bayless, has finally found a home, being a spark coming off the Memphis bench.

Portland, home from a 1-2 road trip, sits 2 games back in the loss column from the Lakers, who currently hold the final playoff spot. The Blazers will face the toughest strength of schedule in the NBA the rest of the season, although they have found most of their success this season facing tougher opponents. Tonight is game one of a three-game homestand, and Portland needs to make good on the opportunity for a few wins if they’re to have any chance at all of staying in the playoff race.

While Memphis welcomes back Randolph, Portland will also see some reinforcement in the middle, as center Meyers Leonard is expected to return to the lineup after missing Sunday’s game against New Orleans with a rolled ankle. Leonard, who was in the midst of the best stretch of basketball he has played in a Blazers uniform, will look to keep his momentum against the Memphis defense that so blanketed the Blazers last matchup. With Randolph back in the lineup, Memphis will look to dominate the interior even more than they did last Wednesday.

Breaking Down the Breakdowns

The peak-and-valley weekend of the Portland Trail Blazers is indicative of the current state of the team. The Blazers have enough potential to not only beat one of the premier teams in the league like the Spurs, but to really pile it on in the process. Unfortunately, this goes hand in hand with their ability to drop a game to the 22-42 Hornets on a Ryan Anderson and-1. 

The constant this weekend (and throughout the season, for that matter) was a sub-par defense. The Blazers rank 25th in defensive efficiency, giving up 105.6 points per 100 possessions. Even in the 30-point crushing of the Spurs, they had a defensive rating of 110.9. Post that number while Wes Matthews is lighting up the corners and Damian Lillard is showing off his Rookie of the Year credentials and you’re a hero. Average that over a season, however, and they call you the Bobcats.

 

While Coach Stotts will use zone on certain possessions and out-of-bounds plays, the Blazers main defensive scheme is a strict man-to-man. The term “strict” applies in the sense that very little switching is ever planned and help during on-ball screens is quick, aggressive, and then abandoned. This, however, tends to leave the on-ball defender vulnerable if he does not take the right path through the screen and can be even more troubling off the ball where very little hedging happens and defenders can get lost in multiple screens while a big sags back off his man.

 

Take this play from the Spurs game on Friday night. Below, Kawhi Leonard has caught the ball for what ends up being an isolation.

Notice how three Portland defenders are across the lane and the closest, Lillard, is in the worst position for help. If Leonard were to drive left and beat Batum, it is unlikely that any Blazer would be able to contest in time without committing a foul. Leonard pulled up and hit a jumper, though an argument could be made of that shot being the best outcome.

 

Breakdowns on pick-and-rolls were more evident against New Orleans on Sunday. Here, Greivis Vasquez is running the second pick-and-roll action of the possession.

The position J.J. Hickson holds in the photo is the farthest point out he came to hedge, which proves a problem. As Matthews follows his defender, committed to getting over the screen and staying with his original man,he runs into Hickson.

You don’t need me to tell you that this is a problem. Vasquez would get into the lane and pull up uncontested as both Batum and Lillard looked on.

Better rotations and help defense could have potentially caused the ball to be kicked out and reversed back in Anthony Davis’ direction.

 

Another troubling aspect of Portland’s defense is how many opponent shots come at the basket. Portland has ceded the third most shots in the restricted area to its opponents this seasons. The Blazers have held them to a slightly below average shooting mark from that area, but this is still a 60 percent shot that opponents are getting more than a third of the time. We can also break this down individually. Nicolas Batum and Damian Lillard have given up the third and fourth most shots in the league in the restricted area to their opponents, respectively. For perspective, first and second on that list are Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis of the esteemed Bucks backcourt.

 

Sifting through this information and drawing conclusions can be difficult. Can we attribute all the blame for these shots solely to Batum and Lillard? Maybe not. As the screencaps show, and as most season-long observers have witnessed first-hand, the Blazers defense can bleed at the back line when Hickson plays. Though he has relatively quick feet, he’s not much of a shot blocker and his hedging and rotating abilities are severely lacking. In a defensive system which places a premium on a strong hedge and recovery, Hickson’s efforts amount to laying down a red carpet to the semi-circle.

 

There are certain bright spots to how the Blazers have defended thus far, mainly in their ability to limit other high-value shots. They have kept their opponents from launching corner threes, giving up the fourth fewest attempts in the league. They also are contesting the ones they do concede, holding opponents to 35.7 percent, well below the median of 39 percent. Add in that they’ve kept their opponents off the line (0.25 opponent Free Throw Rate, 0.27 is average) and the Blazers appear to have a solid grasp of efficient defensive strategy. Hopefully going forward they can execute more effectively in pushing opponents away from the rim and improve their defensive ranking in the process. 

All stats courtesy NBA.com