Portland Trail Blazers
It’s difficult to find a team that plays less impactful defense than the Portland Trail Blazers this season. They have used the bold strategy of playing an aggressive scheme with a liability center in Jusuf Nurkic that lacks the foot speed to make much of an impact out in space.
It’s clear the Trail Blazers need to move on from Nurkic and find an actual impact-player at the center position. The team lacks on-bald defenders out on the perimeter and need not just a serviceable rim protector, but one that is elite like Myles Turner to cover things up.
The options will be limited for the Trail Blazers to pursue upgrades at the center position if they wait until the offseason to do so. Right now, they can use Nurkic’s expiring deal to match Turner’s salary. Perhaps Robert Covington could be of interest as a ‘3-and-D’ option next to Domantas Sabonis?
It remains to be seen when Damian Lillard will be back in the lineup after recovering from his abdominal surgery. Regardless, the Portland Trail Blazers will not be competitive come playoff time. The focus needs to be to use the NBA trade deadline to position themselves for next season.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Impact of Myles Turner’s Injury On Latest NBA Trade Rumors
The Indiana Pacers may not have strong offers for Myles Turner at the NBA trade deadline after his foot injury, and if that’s the case, it’s time for the Portland Trail Blazers to get aggressive.
