Portland Trail Blazers 2020-21 season eve roundtable – Wins, Finals, & Dame Time
The Portland Trail Blazers open their 2020-21 season on Wednesday, December 21, against Houston. After a very productive offseason expectations are high.
At the end of last season, the Portland Trail Blazers were on a roll. Playing their final regular-season games in the Orlando Bubble, Portland rallied to win seven of nine games and land the Western Conference’s eighth playoff seed. Star point guard Damian Lillard elevated his game to an MVP level to make it happen.
While Dame Time grabbed the headlines, he wasn’t alone. For the first time all season, the Portland Trail Blazers had their entire starting lineup healthy. In addition to Lillard, CJ McCollum also nailed more than his fair share of trifectas from the backcourt. Carmelo Anthony was vintage Melo at times, and his experience was invaluable. The frontcourt big man duo of Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins came back from their respective long-term injuries and played well together. They showed a great ability to score points, move the ball in transition, and work the glass.
Portland’s bench was pretty good too. Swingman Gary Trent Jr. had a breakthrough. He shot over 50 percent from three-point range and averaged 16.1 points per game. Hassan Whiteside, the league’s number two rebounder, played well in a reserve role until Collins went down with another injury. Then he was his usual board crashing self as a starter. Anfernee Simons and Wenyen Gabriel had their moments as well.
Although it came at a different time of year, the Blazers had a very good offseason. They traded for 3-and-D forward Robert Covington and backup center Enes Kanter, resigned Anthony and Rodney Hood, and added Derrick Jones Jr., and Harry Giles III as free agents.
Even with high expectations, there are still many unknowns with this team. We asked our regular basketball writers Chip Clark, Chris Phillips, Teresa Powe, and Ed Stein a few questions about the Portland Trail Blazers and how they will do in the 2020-21 season.