5 things that went wrong for Portland Trail Blazers in the 2020-21 NBA season
The Portland Trail Blazers' 2020-21 NBA season ended in the playoffs first round after a 4-2 defeat against the Denver Nuggets.
It was the eighth consecutive postseason appearance for the franchise. While most would consider it as one ending on a high note, the Portland Trail Blazers would be disappointed, as they exited in the first round.
That led to the Portland Trail Blazers star, Damian Lillard, questioning his stay at the franchise despite inking a 4-year $176 million supermax deal that will last till 2025.
Ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season, the Portland Trail Blazers will try to put together a team that could compete for the championship. However, to move forward, they have to look back, identify problems and ensure they don't happen again.
On that note, here are five things that went wrong for the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2020-21 NBA season.
#1 The Portland Trail Blazers fared poorly as a defensive unit
Only the Sacramento Kings had a worse defensive rating than the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2020-21 NBA. The Blazers were ranked 23rd in opposition points conceded per game.
Although the Portland Trail Blazers had one of the most disruptive defenders in the league, that was not enough to keep a lid on the basket. Robert Covington led the NBA in total deflections (255) in his first season with the Blazers.
Jusuf Nurkic also had an impressive steal and block rate. But that was not sufficient to stop the Portland Trail Blazers from conceding as many points as they did. In the NBA, playing good defense is as important as having an explosive offense.
#2 CJ McCollum missed 25 games due to injury
Damian Lillard's backcourt duo, CJ McCollum, missed 25 games in the 2020-21 NBA season after being sidelined with a hairline fracture in his left foot. The injury derailed his bright start to the season, as he averaged 26 points in his first 13 games of the campaign.
McCollum is an integral part of the Portland Trail Blazers and is the second-best scorer in the team. Without him, the Trail Blazers went 14-11, thanks to Lillard's heroics.
While the Trail Blazers ended the regular season in sixth place and qualified for the postseason, they could have done so in a more favorable position and avoided facing Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in the first round.