Do the Portland Trail Blazers have enough size to compete?
Shawn Laib
|
The reigning NBA Champs played small ball and won a fourth ring. Can the Portland Trail Blazers use the same formula?
With only one player over 6’8″ on their roster, the Portland Trail Blazers appear to lack enough size to compete. But in this era of NBA basketball, it’s not as much of a disadvantage as it was in years past.
The Golden State Warriors proved that you don’t need much center play to win the NBA title. With just Kevon Looney as the traditional big on the roster, the Dubs used a variety of small-ball and wing-dominated lineups to thrash the Boston Celtics and take their fourth chip in eight years.
Can the Blazers win with one big guy?
Golden State’s use of small ball might have been a positive sign for your team if you’re a Portland Trail Blazers fan. But, unfortunately, the Blazers have 6’11” Jusuf Nurkic as the only traditional center on their team. Nurkic has been a longtime, reliable big on both ends of the floor for Portland. But some worry that not having much in the way of a backup could derail the Trail Blazers in 2022-23.
It all depends on how much the team can leverage their offseason additions to compensate for their lack of size. In the modern NBA, it isn’t about who is the tallest anymore. It’s about who is the most versatile. This offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers did an excellent job shoring up the all-around capabilities of their team around Damian Lillard.
"I want to be example that you can do whatever… where you from, wherever you live, no matter what neighborhood you from, you can make it."
ISO featuring the big fella, @bosnianbeast27 ❤️?? pic.twitter.com/UVXbprdbLm
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) July 29, 2022
Portland Trail Blazers’ add versatility
Plucking Gary Payton II from Golden State was perhaps their most significant move. Payton II plays about six inches taller than his actual size (6’3″). His heart, desire, and energy pair well with unique physical tools like large hands and a massive vertical leap. He may not have made an All-Defensive team last season, but his ability to lock down the opposition is becoming more and more like his Hall of Fame father, Gary Payton I.
Jerami Grant is another critical piece of the puzzle. Portland’s other second-generation star (his father Harvey spent 11 years in the NBA, including two in Portland) has the size and strength to guard anyone on the floor, especially the other team’s wings and bigs.
In addition, he has a smooth offensive game that blossomed in Detroit the last couple of seasons. But perhaps numbers aren’t the whole part of the story.
Grant must prove he can become a significant contributor to a team trying to get back to the postseason. The Pistons are not that team. But, if necessary, he can play as the small ball center and take the burden off of Nurkic to produce every night, especially as Nurk gets older.
Head Coach Chauncey Billups will have to adjust to his group and look to the defending champions for a template of what is to come. Small-ball can and should bring the Portland Trail Blazers back to the playoffs in 2022-23.
Do you think the Portland Trail Blazers have enough size to compete this year? Let us know in the comments section below.