1. Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers are an excellent offensive team. They finished second in the NBA last season in offensive rating with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum leading the way. But, that offensive success has not translated in the postseason.
The Trail Blazers has been eliminated from the first round in four out of the last five years. Their offensive abilities are a blessing and a curse, as it helps them overcome their defensive shortcomings in the regular season. Alas, in the postseason, those defensive deficiencies are exposed.
Getting anyone that can help turn things around for them on defense is something Portland still needs to do. Adding a player like Jarrett Culver would be a good target, as he could still develop into something more over time.
Tony Snell and Ben McLemore were signed, in addition to re-signing Norman Powell. Adding someone like Culver to that mix would allow him to learn from some veterans but provide the team with a higher ceiling should things click.
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With the scorers the Trail Blazers already has at their disposal, Culver wouldn’t be asked to do much on that end of the court. Not being regarded as a potential franchise savior will also help relieve him of some pressure.
