There is a school of thought that suggests the Portland Trail Blazers will forever be consigned to mediocrity in the NBA until they have the star power required to match the high-level talent possessed
by their more fortunate opponents.
Fans advocating that the Blazers go all-in on acquiring a top-5 player (or top-10 at least) are graduates of this school, and the underlying analysis makes a lot of sense at first blush. A quick look back at the current season reveals several particularly interesting occasions on which the Blazers have been torched by opposing superstars.
The best example of what I am getting at has been provided by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, who has already feasted on the Blazers to the tune of 48, 38 and 35 points in three tries. But Curry’s not the only opponent who has found enough room to roam in and around Portland’s defense to score 30 points or more: you can add Austin Reaves (41 points for the Los Angeles Lakers), Jaylen Brown (37 for the Boston Celtics), Zion Williamson (35 for the New Orleans Pelicans) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (35 for the Oklahoma City Thunder), Donovan Mitchell (33 for the Cleveland Cavaliers), DeMar DeRozan (33 for the Sacramento Kings), and Lauri Markkanen (32 for the Utah Jazz),
Those are all impressive examples of point production, no doubt about it. But the distinguishing characteristic that caught my eye is they all came in games won by the Blazers! Apparently, even mind-blowing scoring performances are no guarantee of a favorable outcome in the game at hand.
I have noticed this anomaly before. In a former life, I was an assistant coach during a game in which Salim Stoudamire scored more than 40 points for Lincoln High School… in a game Benson Tech won by 20. On the micro level, it was mind-boggling to watch Salim go off like that no matter what we tried to do to slow him down. On the macro level? Didn’t make any difference at all, and wouldn’t have even if Salim had scored all of Lincoln’s points. Unless the total was more than Benson’s, of course, which is how the wins and losses are decided.
Looks like the same thing is true in the NBA. Basketball is a team game, so the best player doesn’t always win, and on any given day, the collective effort of the opponent may be enough to offset prodigious production by the star. I think most close observers of the current Blazers would agree that their “collective effort” has played a significant part in all of their wins and the many close losses as well.
That said, the Blazers almost might be developing a superstar of their own. 25-year-old Deni Avdija, fresh off his third triple double of the season, is not only attracting All-Star votes, but he has more of them than both LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Whether or not he reaches that level will not be decided in the ballot box: he’s making his case on the court, and so is his team. Avdija has become an every-down first option for a Blazers team firmly in the play-in race. Also, as yesterday’s game against the Spurs showed, he can still help his team even when opposing defenses specifically scheme to slow him down. That’s superstar stuff.
If the current season is part of a progression for the players toward stardom and for the team toward contention, count me on board for the ride.
