The Portland Trail Blazers were victims of Jarrett Allen(-Jabbar) and the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight, losing 130-111. As is usually the case in large blowouts, the Blazers pump-faked their fans with a couple of spirited comeback efforts but ultimately succumbed to the Cavaliers’ red-hot shooting.
Blake Wesley
Blake Wesley, in his limited minutes, immediately reminded fans of his value to this roster. His first few actions inspired nostalgia for the Blazers of old (four months ago). As soon as the ball touched
his hands, he was on the other end of the floor. His ability to get paint touches, seemingly at will, opens up perimeter looks for the ball handlers – Shaedon Sharpe, Caleb Love – who have long been burdened with the duty of getting those paint touches themselves. Wesley grants the Blazers variety on the offensive end, a quality they have sorely missed during his absence. He opens up transition opportunities in a way unique to his combination of speed and playmaking.
Just as Toumani Camara was the spiritual leader of last year’s squad, Blake Wesley imbues the Blazers with an infectious energy. The end of the third quarter saw the Blazers go on a micro-run, beginning with a Blake Wesley three. The next play, Blake Wesley threw on the burners and converted a Blake Wesley lob to Shaedon Sharpe. The very next play, he snuck his way into the paint to get a Blake Wesley secondary assist, performing a silky smooth dump-off to a cutting Rayan Rupert. In each of the actions, Wesley was the clear-cut catalyst. Wesley was undoubtedly the winner of tonight’s Anti-Tony Snell Award for having the greatest impact in the fewest minutes.
Jarrett Allen’s Interior Dominance
When you imagine the type of opposing center Clingan should struggle against, they likely resemble a stretch big – someone who can draw him out of the paint and limit his ability to cover the drive. Jarrett Allen is not that, but he absolutely dominated the Blazers. Allen had his way in transition, beating Clingan down the floor with ease, strolling into uncontested dunks off of hit-ahead passes. In the halfcourt, the Blazers big man struggled to contain Allen’s arsenal of short floaters and half-turn hooks. The Blazers allowed Allen so much confidence that he attempted a three-pointer, one of only eight this season. Allen finished his dominant first half with 25 points (a career high for points in a half) and 10 rebounds. Allen finished the game with a career high 40 points and 17 rebounds on 16 of 23 from the floor.
Though Clingan brought a little more nasty in the second half, coming alive defensively during one of the Blazers’ patented ultimately-fruitless-second-half-comeback-specials, Jarrett Allen was not done wreaking havoc on the interior. At a certain point, after Jarrett Allen hits his third double drop-step-Dreamshake-half-turn hook shot, you just got to accept that it’s not your night.
The Variance Game
Vit Krejci cannot arrive soon enough. The Blazers shot 44 threes tonight. They made 14 of them. Yikes. You almost have to respect the Blazers’ proclivity to chuck up threes while possessing the league’s worst three-point percentage. We must accept that this tendency will not change, and hope that Krejci can share some shooting tips from his time in OKC to help level up the rest of the Blazers’ roster.
The Blazers’ “live by the three, die by the three” outlook means that they are playing an odds game every night. If variance goes their way, they will likely win the basketball game. The Blazers win the vast majority of their contests when they shoot over 33% from three. Because of their one-dimensionality, though, a poor three-point shooting night (or, in Blazers-speak, a “night”) usually equates to a loss. Tonight, 14 of 44 from three meant that the Blazers never really had a chance.
The Blazers’ approach isn’t incorrect, but the makeup of their current roster is not congruent with their objectives. The Boston Celtics operate under the same offensive paradigm. The difference is they make enough three-point shots to win more games than not. Furthermore, the Blazers’ exceptionally poor three-point shooting diminishes their ability to win the possession game, which has long been their greatest advantage. Their inefficiency has more weight than does the delta in shot attempts. Tonight, despite eight more field goal attempts, and 10 more attempts from three, the Blazers could not overcome the Cavaliers’ efficiency (55% from the field, 48% from three). Even if the Cavaliers shot league average from the field tonight, the Blazers would still have fits.
Same-Old, Same-Old (Turnovers)
It is not satisfying to leave every game with the exact same takeaway, but until the Blazers cut down on the turnovers and improve their shotmaking, the losses will continue. The return of Blake Wesley offered a glimpse into a world of pure imagination where the Blazers have more than two competent ball handlers available. With head coach Tiago Splitter indicating that Scoot Henderson is very near his own return, the Blazers may escape their last-place ranking for turnovers per game.
Up Next
The Blazers will debut the newly acquired Vit Krejci when they host the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, February 3rd at 8pm Pacific.
