NBA/Blazers 2026-27 Thread

[Phalanx]

The best starting lineup was Ja and Jrue. Ja was able to break down defenses and get guys on the perimeter open shots, feed a driving Deni or lob to the centers. He had the offense working great while Lillard mostly stood on the wing and waited for the ball so he could huck up a low percentage shot. Wake up, dude, the guy can't take anyone off the dribble anymore. Without Ja, the offense will not be nearly the same. The best starting lineup now is Jrue and Scoot because they can at least play defense and drive and dish to some degree. I am sure that Lillard will still start, but he shouldn't. We just have to hope that Scoot can rise to the occasion and take advantage of the opportunity he has. A couple of those passes he made against the Lakers made me wonder if he should get his vision checked.

[pezsez1]

The best offense is with Dame and Deni on the floor. Ja breaking things down in the paint removes Deni from doing what he does best, which doesn't really make sense as our bedrock system. Dame, meanwhile, is making Toumani into a 50% spot-up shooter simply by being on the floor. Playing Jrue alongside Dame makes far too much sense, and it's what Nori should have been doing from the start. Now we'll get to establish this offense so that Ja can assume the sixth man role when he returns. This is actually the perfect strategy move by Coach Nori, waiting until just the right moment to bring Jrue up into the starting lineup to play alongside Dame. Masterful coaching.

[bellsduck]

The best offense is with Dame and Deni on the floor. Ja breaking things down in the paint removes Deni from doing what he does best, which doesn't really make sense as our bedrock system. Dame, meanwhile, is making Toumani into a 50% spot-up shooter simply by being on the floor. Playing Jrue alongside Dame makes far too much sense, and it's what Nori should have been doing from the start. Now we'll get to establish this offense so that Ja can assume the sixth man role when he returns. This is actually the perfect strategy move by Coach Nori, waiting until just the right moment to bring Jrue up into the starting lineup to play alongside Dame. Masterful coaching.

When a team relies on only one elite driver, the defense can easily "load up" on that player by collapsing the paint, using zone principles, or sending early help. Ja's ability to penetate ultimately helps Deni and spot up shooters like Dame. Ja is not a sixth man on this team. His offensive style of play is what they sorely need.

[Phalanx]

Dame, meanwhile, is making Toumani into a 50% spot-up shooter simply by being on the floor.

This is utter nonsense.

I think we are about to find out what Ja did for the offense. I'm sure you will blame the regression on Jrue and Scoot.

[pezsez1]

I think we are about to find out what Ja did for the offense. I'm sure you will blame the regression on Jrue and Scoot.

We are about to see what happens when we don't have a great facilitator on the bench. We will miss Ja in that way.

[pezsez1]

Another shaky game by Dame. Didn't get to watch it, but hoping the Achilles injury didn't do him like Klay. Also alarming that nobody else other than Deni really asserted himself.

[TheDrake]

Last I looked it was a total blowout!!

[Boom]

Another shaky game by Dame. Didn't get to watch it, but hoping the Achilles injury didn't do him like Klay. Also alarming that nobody else other than Deni really asserted himself.

I think he had a pretty decent game for a 36 year old. As the season wears on I think it's going to be difficult for him to play great more than once per week.

I'm really hoping Scoot can develop some consistency and show something while Ja is out. He has the potential to be a really nice point of attack defender.

[bellsduck]

Scoot played decently after a slow start. His defense is not bad. Dame started out good but then started to force stuff and he did t have to That's what led to bad shooting and team high turnovers. Utah had no answer for Deni.

[Phalanx]

Congratulations to Damian Lillard who in this game passed Clyde Drexler on the all-time list for missed shots, and he did it in 181 less games than Clyde too, which is impressive. I looked to see if maybe he would also pass Clyde for made shots, but nope, not close and likely out of reach for The Second-Best Shooter All-Time in NBA History™. I sometimes wonder what that self-proclaimed title is based on, but maybe it's none of my business. Anyway, Lillard will always have the record for most shots made in his personal gym; nobody can take that away from him.

Nice to see RWIII playing a little bit, although he was not needed in this game. I actually think Nori is doing a great job subbing in the scrubs so far so they can eat minutes. He's holding his better players like Rob and Jrue for when they are needed in tight ball games and maybe they will have something left for the playoffs, meanwhile giving more minutes to guys like Vit, Sidy, Hansen, and Lillard who can lighten the load for the more important guys.

Glad to see the win without Ja, although Utah is a very bad team. This is likely to be a tough road trip for the Blazers, but we'll see.

[pezsez1]

If Jrue really does have more left in the tank. He needs to start using it and not playing so passively. Dame shouldn't be having to take 16 shots on a bad shooting night when he's surrounded by youngsters. This team is moving the ball just fine and that includes Lillard. He will take those shots if nobody else is willing because that's how he's wired, but someone else needs to step up and shoot until Ja is back.

[Phalanx]

Well, I can agree that Lillard is definitely wired to take all the shots. The problem is that a point guard is primarily supposed to be creating shots for others. Somewhere along the way, Lillard forgot the mission and started this self-aggrandizing campaign that led to massive playoff failure. Now he is old and coming off an injury and he has no ability to create even his own shot, much less that of others. He can catch and shoot and camp on the left wing. If he tries to do more, he gets his shot blocked, turns it over, or takes a terrible shot with a guy draped all over him. That's the reality now. He might have a good day now and then where his shot is better, or the defense is slack, but Ja was the one getting him those open looks and now that Ja is gone, the young guys are going to start figuring out that Lillard isn't helping anyone but himself and cut him out of the offense more and more. The honeymoon is going to end fast with Lillard as his shooting percentage is dropping off a cliff.

Jrue is fine. He recognizes his limitations and plays within himself. He's shooting better than Lillard and still playing crazy-smart basketball. He knows just when to push and get the needed basket - he's like a coach calling timeout except the coach didn't have to because Jrue just made the play they needed to get them re-set. I very much admire his game because he leads without making a big deal about his leadership. It reminds me of a Lao Tzu quote:

“A leader is best
When people barely know he exists
Of a good leader, who talks little,
When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,
They will say, “We did this ourselves.”

No pointing at his fake watch, just getting it done. The Blazers would not have made the playoff field without him last year, and hopefully Coach Nori is smart enough to preserve him a little for this year's playoffs. Maybe Shaedon and Ja will come back in time and make the Blazers a surprising dark horse. All I know is Lillard doesn't have the game to lead this team, and he also lacks the maturity to realize it and accept a more team-oriented role. He just keeps hucking up bad shots and pretending he is the star of the show.

[pezsez1]

Jrue "saving himself for the playoffs" one week into the season is about as absurd as Dan Lanning waiting until just the right moment to bench Brock Thomas. We need someone else to step up and shoot it and not stand back and expect 36-year-old Dame to do carry them. Deni is doing his part, but when Dame gets people the ball they need to be a little less passive and bit more aggressive. Ball movement is great, but there have been many times this season when players (Dame included) have passed up perfectly good looks because they've been a little too into ball movement. Overall, that's a great thing, and we can't expect Nori's offense to run without issues just a couple weeks into the season, but with Ja out guys have to look a bit harder for their own shots. Dame is doing a spectacular job of getting people the ball, but he can't shoot it for them.

I honestly don't expect Jrue to score much at high volume. He is old, he's clearly lost a step, and Nori has probably told him to focus more on playing defense to maximize his value on the roster. But it's also Nori's job to find that scoring from someplace else. If Dame has another high-volume night tonight, then we can conclude Nori is telling him to keep shooting because he's not as confident in his other options. These guys are millionaire ballers though and someone else needs to figure it out.

[Phalanx]

Jrue "saving himself for the playoffs" one week into the season is about as absurd as Dan Lanning waiting until just the right moment to bench Brock Thomas. We need someone else to step up and shoot it and not stand back and expect 36-year-old Dame to do carry them.

Dude, it's Monday morning, too early in the week for this nonsense. First you put something in quotes that nobody actually said, and then you suggest that Lillard needs to carry a team that made the playoffs without him last year. I want Nori to manage Jrue's load well so that he has something left for the playoffs. Jrue himself plays hard on both ends of the court whenever he is in the game, unlike your idol who spends most of the time on court camped on the wing unless he is getting the ball or waving goodbye as his defensive assignment blows past him. Jrue is one of the five players on the team that scores in double figures, despite coming off the bench. He is also third in assists behind Deni and Ja. Somehow he manages to do this while also shooting more accurately than the Second Best Shooter in NBA History™, so he must be really exceptional, right?