2019-2020 NBA Previews – Trail Blazers Odds
Looking for 2019 Portland Trail Blazers Predictions? Last year’s team did what just about every Damian Lillard-led Blazers team has done his the franchise point guard’s arrival to the NBA: exceed expectations. On top of winning 53 games and destroying their Vegas over/under of 42.5 and earning the Western Conference third seed, Portland made it to the conference championship round for the first time since 2000. Unfortunately for Rip City, the Golden State Warriors, as they so often do for so many teams, got in their way by virtue of a 4-0 sweep.
Portland Trail Blazers Season Preview
Head Coach: Terry Stotts
2018-19 Record: 53-29
Blazers Odds to NBA Title: +3000
Blazers Odds to Win Conference: +1600
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This season won’t just be about avoiding the almost inevitable step back, but more so about building upon momentum and contending in a suddenly wide-open West. The Blazers saw plenty of roster turnover during the offseason, making them one of the more curious cases entering the new year.
Players Who Have Left
- Al-Farouq Aminu
- Seth Curry
- Maurice Harkless
- Enes Kanter
- Jake Layman
- Meyers Leonard
- Nik Stauskas
- Evan Turner
Players Who Have Arrived
- Kent Bazemore
- Pau Gasol
- Mario Hezonja
- Nassir Little
- Anthony Tolliver
- Hassan Whiteside
The most notable departure is starting power forward, Al-Farouq Aminu. But at the same time, nobody in Stumptown should feel as if they lost an irreplaceable player.
Evan Turner’s ball-handling—not to mention Seth Curry’s shooting—off the bench puts Anfernee Simons in the tough position of primary backup point guard, and Maurice Harkless, despite his many inconsistencies, was always a threat to make plays in up-tempo settings.
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The most notable arrival is easily Hassan Whiteside. No disrespect to Kent Bazemore, who will, in theory, give the Trail Blazers shooting off the bench, but Whiteside is the one under the microscope.
Officially on the wrong side of 30 as of this summer and in the final year of a monstrous ~$28 million expiring contract, he has all the pressure on him to succeed. And quite frankly, that contract could become valuable to a rebuilding team looking to ditch a star in a multi-year deal at the trade deadline.
Portland Trail Blazers Strengths:
The Blazers’ biggest strength, as cheesy as it sounds, is culture and cohesion. Led by Lillard, this team always finds a way to jell, it always exceeds expectations, and it never lets surrounding noise cloud its own vision.
That, of course, will be put to the test in 2019-20 with Whiteside on board. The ultra-talented big man has failed to live up to his potential because of locker room and motivation concerns. Now Lillard’s reputation as a leader will be put to the test to see if he can get the best out his new teammate.
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You also can’t talk about Portland’s strengths without mentioning the backcourt as a unit. Lillard is a bad man on the court who can score with the best of them, but his guard-mate, CJ McCollum, is just as lethal.
Although McCollum doesn’t score as many points as Lillard, he shoots a more-efficient 45.9 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from the three-point line. Oh, and he also knocks down 21 points per game of his own.
Once healthy, Jusuf Nurkic has the potential to be a huge strength with his playmaking and rim-bullying tendencies.
But…
Portland Trail Blazers Weaknesses:
Nurkic is out with a broken leg suffered late last season, and most of his 2019-20 campaign is expected to be from the sidelines.
With Nurkic out, the conversation once again turns back to Whiteside. Can the big man keep his head on straight long enough to help this team win? Will he, knowing he has money on the line next summer, chase stats or chase the eyeballs of team scouts and general managers everywhere? But it’s not all on him, of course.
If Portland is worried about how well Whiteside can defend a rim as a last-line defender, it might want to first look at its perimeter defense. Lillard and McCollum have proved capable in the past, but they’re still undersized, and Rodney Hood can’t defend both James Harden and Russell Westbrook should the Blazers meet the Houston Rockets in a seven-game series.
And while cohesion is undoubtedly a strength for any Lillard/Terry Stotts-led team, there are question marks in the rotation considering substantial roster turnover and a massive injury.
Portland Trail Blazers Betting Prediction: 48-34
At 45.5, the Blazers are an easy pick to go over. If this team hits 50 games, nobody should be surprised.
Expecting them, however, to hit their 53 wins from a year ago would mean you also believe Whiteside is going the be the perfect fit, Lillard is going to exceed his already All-NBA level and the stars will align as far as role player consistency is concerned among a group of newcomers. All that may ultimately be true, but it’s a lot to bank on.
Does #RipCity get more or less than 50 wins in 2019? #NBA #PDX #Betting
— "Razor" Ray Monohan (@Cappers_Picks) September 25, 2019
At this point, we’re taking something of a middle ground and going with 48 wins on the season. Lillard and Co. should once again exceed expectations and be a postseason participant, as all eyes will be on LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Russell Westbrook, and the many other stars in new locations this season.
2019 NBA Gambling
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