Portland Trail Blazers need a power forward – Stat!
For the Portland Trail Blazers to get ahead, it’s time to abandon small-ball and bring in a traditional power forward.
After Zach Collins most recent injury setback, the Portland Trail Blazers are now left with more questions looming about the team’s future. One answer I have is to go out and get a power forward. The team might have to wait for contracts to become eligible to move, but this should become priority #1 for the team moving forward.
Since the Blazers perimeter defense is struggling, then it’s time to try something new. A good plan is to improve their rebounding and interior defense. Terry Stotts has to stop catering to the small ball offensive scheme. Portland had its most success against the small-ball Warriors by not emulating them but by exposing their weaknesses. Playing big lineups with Jusuf Nurkic and Collins, playing physical.
Why add a four?
Nurkic started the year rusty and out of shape. His stats aren’t really showing what he is capable of at the moment. Expect those stats to improve as he works himself back into shape, and he can stay on the floor for longer than his current 24 minutes-per-game average. Adding a more conventional power forward would help Nurkic more than anybody.
Another high rebound-rate big who can defend would take the pressure off of Nurk and allow the Trail Blazers center to focus more on man-to-man defense. That should cut down on him picking up unnecessary fouls from arriving too late on help defense. Adding a power forward would also allow Robert Covington to move back to his natural small forward position. That’s where RoCo played when he was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team back in 2018.
Subs, too
A similar move for the bench would also work wonders. I don’t think a trade or signing is needed to find a defensive, rebounding power forward to come off the bench.
All the second unit needs to do is promote Harry Giles III to the position. Giles playing the four would compensate for Kanter’s weaknesses on the defensive end. At the same time, Portland would be adding another capable rebounder and scorer. HG3’s passing would also benefit a second unit that has yet to have a player stand out capable of setting up his teammates like Nurkic, Damian Lillard, and CJ McCollum do.
Of course, bringing in someone new means someone else has to sit. By adding another big, the wing players would see their minutes cut. Then again, if the Blazers trade for a four, at least one wing player would be on the move, regardless.
Changing Game
It’s important to mention that the last two NBA Champions bucked the Golden State small ball trend.
The Raptors did it with a bigger frontcourt of Marc Gasol/ Pascal Siakam/ Kawhi Leonard with Serge Ibaka playing big minutes off the bench. Last season the Lakers did it with JaVale McGee/ Anthony Davis/ Kyle Kuzma and 6-8 point guard LeBron James with Dwight Howard seeing those bench minutes.
These are the Portland needs to look at. It’s probably what they were looking at doing when they thought they were getting Collins back in late January.
Do you think the Portland Trail Blazers need to trade for a power forward? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.