NBA Today: 3 Reasons why the Portland Trail Blazers have underperformed this season

#3 The team is not focussing on defense, now that all their offensive pieces are in place

Melo's contract with Portland is now fully guaranteed

The reigning Western Conference finalists recently signed veteran Carmelo Anthony to boost their production on offense in the backdrop of a glaring dearth of talent. Although he was named the Western Conference Player of the Week and helped his team win three straight, he has been a potential liability on defense. And the roster is in dire need of that.

The Trail Blazers' defensive rating of 111.3 is amongst the league's worst, as they have now lost five of their last ten games. They are dead last in the NBA in terms of steals per game (6.0), and with the exception of Hassan Whiteside, possess negligible protection in the paint.

The likes Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks that are leading the standings are doing so by fueling their offensive runs off their defensive intensity. However, Portland have focused more on taking the scoring load off their dynamic backcourt duo, than surrounding them with quality defenders to take care of matters on the other end.