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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.
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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.
#3 The Portland Trail Blazers were terrible in moving the ball
The Portland Trail Blazers ranked 30th in assists because they were not adept in finding an open man. It was so because the guards were looked upon for scoring and not necessarily for creating chances. It was often a two-man game between Lillard and McCollum.
Teams set offensive plays differently, but the Portland Trail Blazers' style was easy to read and defend. Although Lillard's deep 3's were unstoppable, the team's heavy reliance on 3-point shooting was not always productive.
#4 The Portland Trail Blazers lacked backcourt depth
With most of the players in the Portland Trail Blazers' roster being forwards, the backcourt suffered, as there were no like-for-like swaps available.
As things stand, Damian Lillard is the only point guard in the team's roster. Although he takes breaks in every game, his replacement is not a true guard who can create and control the pace of games.
Anfernee Simons is the only replacement available for CJ McCollum. Although he provides a certain dimension with his game, he is not as explosive for a team that intends to compete for the championship.
Carmelo Anthony is a good ball-handler who can bring the ball up the court when Dame and CJ take break. But he is not as fluid in calling plays because he is not a natural guard.
#5 The frontcourt was not a key point contributor
The Portland Trail Blazers are a guard-based team, meaning that much of the scoring is left to the backcourt. While they pulled their weight, they were easier targets as opposition teams did not have to worry so much about other players.
Although Nurkic registered a decent number for the Portland Trail Blazers, not much could be said about the team's starters in the frontcourt.
Covington excels in the catch-and-shoot game but played mostly for his defensive acumen and not for what he could contribute in offense. He went scoreless on occasions because he was not primed to take shots for the team.
The extent to which they were affected by their guard-based system was glaring, especially in the playoffs.
On the night that Lillard recorded 55 points in the 157-150 loss against the Denver Nuggets, no other Trail Blazers player scored more than 20 points. The Nuggets, on the other hand, had three players with 20+ points, while two others registered double digits.
