3 takeaways from the Portland Trail Blazers' start to the season
The Portland Trail Blazers (10-4) have made an excellent start to the season and sit atop the Western Conference standings, with the Denver Nuggets (9-4) in second, and the Utah Jazz (10-6) in third.
The franchise has exceeded expectations so far, which is impressive given that superstar guard Damian Lillard has missed five of the first 13 games with a calf strain.
Portland is coming off a six-game nine-day road trip, of which they won four, including victories over title contenders Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns.
“I thought overall, it was a great trip to go 4-2 against all these really good teams on the road. It was awesome. I thought we built a lot of character on this trip and I”m proud of our guys,” coach Chauncey Billups said after the Dallas loss.
Entering the 2022-23 season, the Portland Trail Blazers had their sights set on returning to the NBA playoffs after a one-year absence. After a great start, they look capable of becoming contenders in the West.
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Damian Lillard remains the undisputed leader and is seeking a championship run for the first time in his career. He is averaging 27.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game. Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant have also started the season strongly, averaging 22.3 and 21.3 points per game respectively.
“I think it was a great road trip for us, or a good road trip, could have been great with this one. Obviously if you told us we was going to get 4-2 when we left Portland we would have said we’ll take it. Wish we would have been able to get this one but 4-2 going back home for a short stretch is fine with me.
“We had a lot of opportunities on this trip to go our separate ways. Even the Phoenix game, the first one that we won, we played great and things kind of went down hill and we still found a way, we stayed together through the storm,” Lillard said, after the end of the road trip.
Jerami Grant and team effort the keys to the Portland Trail Blazers' hot start
CJ McCollum's departure in February left the Portland Trail Blazers with just one superstar player and cost the team qualification for the playoffs.
Fast forward to the summer, the franchise signed a great two-way player Jerami Grant, who has become the team's glue guy and a game changer on both ends.
After a couple of games where he struggled early in the season, Grant has found his role on the floor, and is now a key part of Portland’s offensive pie chart.
A versatile player that adds another dimension to the Portland Trail Blazers' playing style, Grant has expanded his game beyond catch-and-shoot threes and post-ups to more dribble-drives and midrange jumpers.
Jerami Grant scored a season-high 37 on 13-of-22 shooting against the Dallas Mavericks on November 12. Grant played five of the six games in the road trip and averaged 26.2 points.
This year, we have seen the Portland Trail Blazers have a deep roster that can make the difference in every game and step up no matter who is available.
Besides the big three in Portland, Jusuf Nurkic, Josh Hart, Shaedon Sharpe and Nassir Little are also giving the team some good minutes.
"I think the main thing I've learned is that we are really together through the good, the bad and the struggles. The ups and downs, especially over the course of a game and that's a good sign for a team," Damian Lillard said.
Overall, the Trail Blazers have a really good chance of emerging as title contenders this season after their great start. They need to remain healthy and play consistently to make a deep postseason run.
Also read: “Dame gets hurt last year & they hit a rut” – JJ Redick asserts Trail Blazers signing Jerami Grant makes them a conference finals contender
5 franchise records held by Damian Lillard for the Portland Trail Blazers