Since Lillard html was selected by Trail Blazers in 212 and came to NBA, the Trail Blazers have never missed playoffs from the 13-14 season to the 20-21 season. They once broke into the Western Conference Finals stage in the 18-19 season. Unfortunately, even if they could not go further, a small market like the Trail Blazers could only accept the cruel reality of pushing back. After replacing the coach with Billups last season, they encountered a serious injury wave at the beginning of the season. Seeing that the team's record did not increase but declined, the Trail Blazers management simply traded all the rotations of several main players except Lillard.
Last season, Lillard, who was fighting due to injury, played only 29 games for the Trail Blazers, averaging only 24 points per game, and his three-point shooting percentage plummeted to 32.4%. Although the main rotations of CJ, Powell , Covington were all sent away, the Trail Blazers did not mean to send Lillard away, but clearly stated that they would continue to build a team around him in the new season. In this offseason, the management of the Blazers also did what they said. First, they traded Jerami Grant from Pistons , and then signed Payton, who followed the Warriors to win the championship last season in the free market. In addition, Sharp, who was also a potential forward player, was also a potential striker. The offensive and defensive defects in the wing position have been alleviated to a certain extent. The Blazers are struggling to fight now and pushing to rebuild, and once again chose the former, and continue to find a right-hand man for the loyal Lillard. Will this allow them to return to the playoffs in the new season?
The core of this Trail Blazers is undoubtedly Lillard. Apart from him, the other core rotations should be Nurkic , Grant , Anfini Simmons , and also include Hart , Payton Jr., Winslow and rookie Sharp, which can also bring full vitality to the team on the defensive end. Unfortunately, the team failed to retain the Ingles , which joined the team last season. If he could stay in the team, the Trail Blazers' most criticized defense in the past will be greatly improved.
Last season, after trading the team's original main players in exchange for future assets, the Trail Blazers had no special highlights in the second half of the season except for the , Simmons , who is expected to become the next CJ. However, the joining of two defensive players, Payton and Grant, in the offseason, greatly supplemented the depth of the Trail Blazers' lineup. Last season, the Trail Blazers lacked a stable scoring point on the bench. Whether it is Payton or Grant, they can actually give the team a lot of help on the bench in the new season.
This series of reinforcements for the Trail Blazers are actually built around Lillard, the core of Lillard. This summer, Lillard, who has reached a two-year, 120 million-dollar contract renewal with the Trail Blazers, will continue to play for the team until 27 years. By then, Lillard will be 37 years old, leaving behind this backcourt core who has reached the end of his career. He is actually quite helpless for a small football market like the Trail Blazers. Compared with the big markets such as Knicks , Nets , Lakers , Bulls , Celtics , the Trail Blazers will definitely not be the first choice destination for these big-name stars. The stars who have played in the team in recent years are basically trained by the Trail Blazers themselves, and they rarely attract these stars to join in the free market. As a defender, Lillard's dominance on the court is far less than those of inside players such as Antetokounmpo and Jokic. If the team does not keep him, they can only find a new successor through the draft.
Lillard is the spiritual pillar of the Trail Blazers, and it also allows the team to continue to use him as the core of the team building, trying to create a lineup that takes into account existing competitiveness and future. Although many data have declined seriously last season, when he plays healthy, his skills are unquestionable. In addition, only Lillard is 30 years old in the team, and the team's lineup is younger than before. A group of young potential stocks such as Keane Johnson, Little or this year's mysterious rookie Sharp all have full talent. The degree of fulfillment of these potential stocks may have an impact on the Trail Blazers' performance.
0 Lillard, who is already 32 years old, is already the peak of the player in the defender position. How to grasp Lillard's peak tail and keep the team competitive is indeed a big head for the management. In the past seasons, the Trail Blazers' record has never been up and down. Although they can enter the playoffs, as mentioned before, they have never rushed out of the West. Facing the Suns and the Warriors, the Trail Blazers are still much inferior. Lillard's condition declined sharply last season. In addition to injuries, it actually has a certain connection with his own style of play. In this preseason, Lillard's feel did not seem to improve, averaging 15 points per game, but his shooting percentage and three-point shooting percentage were as low as 39.4% and 33.3%. As strong as Harden, he was unable to lead a single core team to help the team enter the finals, not to mention a star like Lillard who has not won the MVP. With the talent basically reaching the ceiling limit, the Trail Blazers actually faces great risks when they renew their contract with him this time.
As the most representative team in the league with strong offense and weak offense, Lillard's defense has always been a long-term problem. In the first four seasons, their best defensive efficiency was only 16th in the 18-19 season, and the rest of the seasons were at the bottom of the league. Although they have more tough players known for their defense in the new season, for young coach Billups, who has no coaching experience, it may be really difficult to change the team's problem of implementing this for many years in a short period of time. We are really cautious about Lillard's future competitive state in the Trail Blazers. If these defenders who rely heavily on their explosive power really have some serious injury problems at the end of the peak, they will basically fall from the altar. While pursuing the present, the Trail Blazers may still have to consider in advance who will be the "successor" after Lillard.
