NBA/Blazers 2026-27 Thread

[pezsez1]

Dame had a strong first game, then a few off nights, but for the past four or five games he's been solid. Last night he was phenomenal, shooting better than 50% from the field and 40% from 3 while (I think) leading the team in scoring without playing a minute in the fourth quarter. Let's be real about what's going on here.

I know your post is largely trolling for a response, but I don't know why anyone is still bringing up trading Jrue. If you trade Jrue, the team will start losing again. It's pretty much that simple.

Literally not trolling for a response there at all. I've been on the record here (A LOT) saying I think they should trade Jrue midseason, but now that I'm seeing this team in action I'm having a change of heart. There's no way he can be an efficient volume scorer night-in and night-out like Lillard has been for us, but he's perfect with that second unit and in helping to close out games. We have an imbalanced roster, and having him on the floor is almost enough to hide that.

What I'm saying here is that even though we can't lean on him for offensive punch, we are leaning on him for just about everything else, and this team needs his veteran leadership just as much as it needs Dame. That's a good thing.

[Phalanx]

Dame had a strong first game, then a few off nights, but for the past four or five games he's been solid. Last night he was phenomenal, shooting better than 50% from the field and 40% from 3 while (I think) leading the team in scoring without playing a minute in the fourth quarter. Let's be real about what's going on here.

There's no way he can be an efficient volume scorer night-in and night-out like Lillard has been for us, but he's perfect with that second unit and in helping to close out games. We have an imbalanced roster, and having him on the floor is almost enough to hide that.

What I'm saying here is that even though we can't lean on him for offensive punch, we are leaning on him for just about everything else, and this team needs his veteran leadership just as much as it needs Dame. That's a good thing.

You praise Lillard for being 'phenomenal' last night because he shot better than 50% from the field and 40% from 3. So yes, let's be real: Lillard did that for one night, but Jrue and Toumani and Clingan are averaging that for the whole season. All three of those guys are over 100 points higher in efg% than Lillard, who is still down below Sidy for the year. You can talk about 'volume scoring' but the truth is that a good chunk of Lillard's points (26.5%) come from foul shots. In terms of actual field goals, the three guys I mentioned above have made 43, 45, and 45, while Lillard has made 59, while taking 50 more shots than them. Scoring more because you hucked up more shots at a lower percentage just doesn't seem like much to brag about to me.

Anyway, I do think they miss Ja. The team has taken a fairly significant drop in offensive output since he went down. His skill in breaking down defenses simply can't be replaced by anyone else on the roster. Hopefully he comes back soon.

[pezsez1]

So yes, let's be real: Lillard did that for one night, but Jrue and Toumani and Clingan are averaging that for the whole season.

Those guys aren't scoring at volume, and if they could with greater efficiency, they would be. They are fantastic at doing what they do, and Dame is a huge reason why they're pulling that off. You think Toumani and Clingan are suddenly getting more open looks for no particular reason? Jrue is great, but he's only had like one game so far where he's really asserted himself offensively. Dame and Deni are the only ones on the team right now who regularly attract doubles.

Anyway, it is what it is. Yes, the team misses Ja. Having a third capable volume scorer would be fantastic.

[Boom]

You praise Lillard for being 'phenomenal' last night because he shot better than 50% from the field and 40% from 3. So yes, let's be real: Lillard did that for one night, but Jrue and Toumani and Clingan are averaging that for the whole season. All three of those guys are over 100 points higher in efg% than Lillard, who is still down below Sidy for the year. You can talk about 'volume scoring' but the truth is that a good chunk of Lillard's points (26.5%) come from foul shots. In terms of actual field goals, the three guys I mentioned above have made 43, 45, and 45, while Lillard has made 59, while taking 50 more shots than them. Scoring more because you hucked up more shots at a lower percentage just doesn't seem like much to brag about to me.

You can't compare those guys to Lillard. It's apples to oranges. Lillard and Deni are forced to take contested shots. When things break down the rest of those guys look for them to create a shot. Defenses are also making significant adjustments to those guys when they're on the court. I'm not going to get too nerdy here, but you can find info out there showing Lillard's impact on shot quality for his teammates.

[Phalanx]

What utter nonsense. I just got done posting their raw field goals. Lillard is only marginally more than the other three (Deni is more by the same margin). Defenses make adjustments to everyone who enters the game. Lillard's adjustment is that he finds the worst scorer on the other team. Tonight he is getting absolutely cooked as he flails around on defense while Caruso has a field day from the wing. He tried to guard SGA a couple of times - 2 fouls and some free throws later, he gave up.

Meanwhile, Jrue is shooting the lights out, keeping the Blazers in the game. None of his shots have anything to do with Lillard who just sits on the wing doing not much.

[pezsez1]

You can't compare those guys to Lillard. It's apples to oranges. Lillard and Deni are forced to take contested shots. When things break down the rest of those guys look for them to create a shot. Defenses are also making significant adjustments to those guys when they're on the court. I'm not going to get too nerdy here, but you can find info out there showing Lillard's impact on shot quality for his teammates.

This x1000.

Tonight is a great example. Dame is cold from 3, but he's still shooting just enough to keep OKC honest. Meanwhile, he's collapsing the defense and finding open guys. (He should probably have four or five more assists than whatever he has right now.) On one possession a few mins ago, he got the ball in the corner, drove to the rim, then kicked out to Sidy, who swung it over to Jrue for an open 3. That isn't even Dame's assist, but that shot was first created when Dame drove in and collapsed the defense.

Meanwhile, tonight is also showing why I've come to embrace keeping Jrue. We need him! Both Dame and Deni are struggling, and Jrue is picking up the slack.

[Boom]

What utter nonsense.

Comparing the field goal percentage of a catch and shoot player to someone who the offense runs through is nonsense. Acting like defenses aren't keyed in on Lillard is nonsense.

Yes, Lillard is bad at defense. He's a small guard. SGA is 6-6 and scores on everyone.

[Phalanx]

Lillard is as much catch and shoot as everyone else. Your fandom blinds you to what is actually happening on the court. Lillard spends a large part of the game sitting on the wing waiting for a pass.

[Boom]

Lillard is as much catch and shoot as everyone else.

[pezsez1]

ANYWAY,

Cling with a beastly rebound! Dame with a steal! Deni getting to the line!

The Blazers can't seem to uncork any steady offense tonight, but love the grit and the team defense.

[pezsez1]

Man, this game is so ****ing gritty, I love it!

[Phalanx]

Deni takes the team on his back down the stretch. The star of the team by a long way. Great shooting from Jrue and Sidy, not so much from the other guards, but thankfully they didn't need it. The team was playing great defense and came up with the stops they needed. Taking two from OKC was not something I anticipated earlier in the year. Tremendous.

[pezsez1]

Deni takes the team on his back down the stretch.

Deni and Dame. I think Dame had 9 pts in the closing minutes (and a steal) to lead the final rally. He totally cooked Alex Caruso! Awesome effort! Loved the team defense. And Deni playing through that blow to the back and hitting some big shots was excellent. His final steal & slam was a nice exclamation mark.

Will be interesting to see if both Deni and Dame are All-Stars this year. When is the last time the Blazers had two current All-Stars playing together? I don't think Dame made his first team until after LMA walked.

[Phalanx]

Lillard missed several shots down the stretch, and he almost turned the ball over after that steal (which was caused by the Toumani double team) because he made a bad pass to Deni. His defining skill late in games is getting to the free throw line and thankfully he is making them more often now after shooting badly from the line earlier in the season. It's good for the Blazers to have a free throw merchant to answer SGA, but it isn't very fun basketball to watch. He had a terrible night shooting, especially from outside where he was 2 of 10. Thankfully, while Lillard was trying and failing to hit the broad side of a barn, Jrue came in and saved the day in that 3rd quarter, and Deni closed the deal in the 4th.

Lillard doesn't have a prayer of making the All-Star game with that shooting percentage, so I hope he makes it because it would mean cleaning up his game and shooting more consistently. From what we have seen so far though, it looks like he will have career lows in most categories.

[bellsduck]

FT shooting was insane over these two nights. 50-52.
Camara with a strong night.
Dame and Deni didn't play particularly well, but did it when it mattered Coach Nori had to work a little bit tonight.
Surprised with Sidy shooting so well that he was -11 on the game.