New Blazers show promise

Portland Trail Blazers Preseason Opener

The Portland Trail Blazers haven’t won an NBA championship since 1977, but have made the playoffs the last three years – and hope to contend again for a title sometime soon.

The 2015-2016 team finished in fifth place in the Western Conference, with a 44-38 season. In the summer before, the Blazers lost one of their best players, LaMarcus Aldridge, along with starters Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez. That left them with just one remaining starter – Damian Lillard.

Many fans worried that these losses would result in a poor season. But the surprising Blazers went on to knock out the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs, and took the defending champion Golden State Warriors to five games in the second round before losing.

It’s October, now, and a new NBA season is ahead. On Oct. 3, the Blazers’ 2016-17 preseason began at home in the Moda Center against the Utah Jazz, the game giving many fans an opportunity to see their newest acquisitions.

The team came out of the gates slowly, but went into halftime with a two-point lead. The Blazers then controlled the third quarter, outscoring Utah by 10, and finished with a 98-89 victory.

Portland looked impressive, on the whole. One of the most promising and surprising areas was the Blazer bench, which outscored the Utah bench, 52-36. Of all the returning bench players, Allen Crabbe had the biggest offensive impact, scoring 15 points in 22 minutes.

Lillard scored 16 points on the night, on 6-for-12 shooting. Ed Davis was the key defensive player: He grabbed seven rebounds, blocked two shots, and had one steal in 17 minutes of play. Big man Greg Stiemsma also looked like he could be an anchor defensively for Portland off the bench, coming away with four rebounds in 14 minutes.

The most impressive offensive Blazer debut came from Shabazz Napier, who won an NCAA title at the University of Connecticut, was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in 2014, and traded to the Blazers this summer. Napier played for 17 minutes and impressed countless  fans, scoring 11 points while hitting two of his three three-point shot attempts.

Free agent addition Evan Turner scored just seven points in his Portland debut. On the night, all but four Blazer players entered the game: Meyers Leonard, Noah Vonleh, Jake Layman, and big man free agent Festus Ezeli, who is recovering from knee surgery.

The Blazers showed a lot of promise in their first game of the 2016-17 season, winning by nine points. The number of weapons they displayed against Utah showed how deep the bench is. Once they found their rhythm in the game, they were very consistent. They forced 19 turnovers and turned them into 20 points.

Portland looked as strong, maybe even stronger than last year’s team. This group could become very dangerous near the end of the season and should easily find itself in the playoffs once again.