Despite Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum and Yusuf Nurkic all playing well in the third quarter, the Portland Trail Blazers lost to the Phoenix Suns 119-74. Chris Paul didn't play at all, while Devin Booker, Deandrew Ayton and Mikaar Bridges sat on the bench and watched the second half. Needless to say, Portland's three consecutive warm-up losses have had a lot of bad consequences for us.
Trailblazer fatigue
Starting wednesday afternoon, portland slowed down a step or two. The Suns scored the first eight points to take a 23-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, despite some difficulty shooting on his own. The Trail Blazers are clearly more affected by the two-p.m. training time, though that's not surprising considering they trained at tuaratin's team training center before flying southwest on Tuesday afternoon. All teams' away preparations, even back-to-back preparations, are not available in the Blazers' games, and this is reflected at both ends of the court.
The Blazers shot 4-of-20 in the first quarter, with the entire court on jump shots, losing the first nine three-point shots. Their possession is also sloppy, a continuation of the Blazers' last opener against the Golden State Warriors. What are the similarities between this game and Wednesday's game? The Suns took 19 three-pointers in the opening, all due to inadequate half-time rotation and defensive fall behind.
The Blazers' core performance was hardly anything positive, though Lillard struggled to get his teammates involved when the Suns scored early. Starting early on Wednesday is a reasonable excuse; That doesn't explain the 36-point loss, which is as ugly as it appears on the scoreboard.
The Blazers' 3-pointer is already a problem
After losing to the Golden State Warriors, Billups lamented Portland's 69 three-point losses. A few days later, Lillard admitted that he "simply couldn't imagine" the Warriors' two points when he scored from the Moda Center backcourt. Neither the coach nor the team players will be happy with the Blazers' three-point defense of the Suns, especially given the aforementioned struggles between Curry and his teammates outside the three-point line.
The Suns ended up shooting just 41 three-pointers, nearly half of which were in the first quarter. It's as if the Suns stopped seeking long passes after getting long passes early and were content to train in other aspects of the offense before the game actually started. Several of them who originally wanted three points turned out to be two points.
Either way, given how much dynamism Billups' defensive system requires, and his focus on switching defenses, mcCollum's sense of urgency is far from enough.
Even when the Blazers are more passionate in their defense at halftime and maintain the integrity of their system, good shooters inevitably have a chance to gain a slot — especially when one of the Blazers' many guards is asked to grab the roller and then quickly turn to his defender.
Ben McLammore did not move during the flight of the ball. At 6'3", he probably won't have much of an impact on Landry Shamet's release.
The Blazers' offensive defensive system has many potential flaws, and the Blazers' defensive system is better suited to this team. But if there's any hint of it in preseason, the scariest of them will be three times what the Blazers give their opponents.
Lillard and McCollum playing time
The Trail Blazers' star backcourt didn't play in the team's second exhibition game and rested in the evening. Wednesday's game was Lillard and McCollum's second appearance under Billups, further confirming the Trail Blazers' rookie coaches' plans to stagger their playing time during the regular season.
With 4 minutes and 44 seconds left in the game, McLemore came on as McCollum in his first substitution. Lillard left less than three minutes later and was replaced by Dennis Smith Jr. (both annie Simmons and Nasir Little were absent). McCollum and Smith came on at the start of the second quarter, while Lillard returned with eight minutes left in the first half. This substitution pattern is somewhat similar to that used by Billups in the preseason opener, but it could be a good indicator of how he plans to divide Lillard and McCollum's playing time and roles after the regular season ends on Oct. 20.
Although Lillard and McCollum are on the court and Portland's dominance remains high, there is reason to believe that separating them for at least a while every half is the best way for the Blazers to maintain an efficient offense. Some argue that than Lups' egalitarian, mobile-based offensive system could allow him to hold Lillard and McCollum more closely, and his bench doesn't need the service of a top creator. Ideally, this will still happen. It's worth mentioning that Billups' only coaching experience comes from Tylu and the Los Angeles Clippers, who change lineups and rotations as often as any team on the basketball court. But now, Lillard and McCollum's shift plan looks a lot like Terry Stotts' shift plan.
Nurkic foul problem
Nurkic was not halfway through the third quarter when he got his fifth foul on a jumper from Kane Payne. After that, he left forever, apparently frustrated by his long-standing habit of re-emerging foul trouble. What annoys Nurkic the most? There's no doubt his other fouls have occurred on the offensive end, three of which occurred while dribbling with Lillard and McCollum.
Further utilization of Nurkic's elbows and organizational skills in key positions will be a sign of Portland's improved offense this season, and rightly so. As a passer, he has a keen understanding of timing, angle and touch, not to mention years of experience playing with Lillard and McCollum. The Trail Blazers' shooting guard is often under pressure on the high board — with or without the ball — which is the perfect way to tap into Nurkic's tabletop talent while attacking downhill defense.
All of this extra responsibility for possession has brought Nurkic more attention than in previous years, and referees have taken notice. In the catch, Nurkic shoveled the ball to his running teammates and moved slightly to the defender, which was enough to make him a foul. Turning to a defender while passing will also be an automatic whistle.
In terms of Nurkic's role in the Blazers' new defensive system alone, it would be surprising if his foul rate hadn't picked up this season — and he had all the more reason to be more cautious when scheduling offense for his teammates at the other end.