x
Breaking News
More () »

To steal a game (or two) in OKC, Blazers offense must improve, and it starts with the pick and roll

Portland uses the pick and roll more than any other offensive set. During the regular season, the Blazers were one of the most efficient pick-and-roll teams in the NBA. Through the first two games of the playoffs, they rank near the bottom.
Credit: Steve Dipaola
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, center, shoots as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, right, defends during the second half of Game 1 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series in Portland, Ore., Sunday, April 14, 2019.

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Trail Blazers are off to a surprising 2-0 lead in their first-round series against the Thunder, thanks primarily to their defense.

Portland has held Oklahoma City to 95.1 points per 100 possessions through the first two games, nearly 15 points below the Thunder's regular-season average. The Thunder are shooting 40.2% from the field and a shocking 16.4% from the 3-point line.

The Blazers' defense has carried an inconsistent offense to victories in the first two games of this series. The Blazers ranked third in offense during the regular season, but they're scoring 107.4 points per 100 possessions through the first two games of the playoffs, 6.2 points below their season average.

Portland is shooting well from behind the 3-point line, making 42.1% of its attempts, second best among the 16 playoff teams. But the rest of their offensive stats don't look so hot. Among playoff teams, they rank 16th in assists (15.5 per game), 11th in turnovers (15.5 per game), 10th in field-goal percentage (44.3%), and seventh in free-throw percentage (79.2%), free-throw attempts (24.0 per game), and offensive rebounds (10.0 per game).

(Story continues below)

LISTEN: 3-on-3 Blazers podcast | 'Blood in the water'

Listen to the most recent edition of the 3-on-3 Blazers podcast:

According to Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard, the team has executed its offense well, even when the shots haven't gone in.

"Even when we aren’t making shots, we’re getting quality shots," Lillard said. "We're making the right plays, putting the ball where it needs to go based off how they're defending us. Two guys come to the ball, we're hitting the open man. If somebody pulls over, we're hitting the weak side. Make or miss, those are the shots that you want to get. You've got to keep trusting those right plays."

With the series shifting to Oklahoma City, the Thunder are likely to shoot the ball better and provide a tougher challenge to the Blazers' defense. If Portland wants to steal a game or two on the road, they'll need to perform better on offense.

The bread and butter of the Blazers' offense is the pick and roll. During the regular season, Portland used the pick and roll more than any other offensive play set (nearly 25% of their offensive possessions) and were pretty good at it. They ranked second in the NBA in points per possession (0.98) in the pick and roll with the ball handler and seventh (1.17) with the roll man.

Those numbers have plummeted in the playoffs. The Blazers are actually using the pick and roll more, 28.5% of the time. But Portland's pick-and-roll production has dropped to just 0.72 points per possession with the ball handler and 0.89 with the roll man. Those rank 12th and 15th, respectively, out of 16 playoff teams.

Blazers stats: Pick and Roll Ball Handler

  • Playoffs: 20.6% of possessions; 0.72 points per possession
  • Regular season: 18.9% of possessions; 0.98 points per possession

Blazers stats: Pick and Roll Roll Man

  • Playoffs: 7.9% of possessions; 0.89 points per possession
  • Regular season: 5.6% of possessions; 1.17 points per possession

The reason for the Blazers’ success in the pick and roll during the regular season was Lillard. He ranked in the 95th percentile among ball handlers, with 1.08 points per possessions. In the first two games of the playoffs, as good as Lillard has been — and he’s been fantastic, averaging 29.5 points and shooting 45.2% from the field and 47.4% from the 3-point line — he could be even better. He’s been surprisingly bad in the pick-and-roll so far, scoring 0.70 points per possession on 10.0 possessions per game.

See pick and roll (ball handler) stats here

When Lillard talked after Game 2, he said if the team continues to execute its offense, things will work out. "Over the course of a game, shots are going to fall," he said.

Along these lines, the biggest difference for Lillard in the pick and roll in the playoffs has been making shots. He had a 47.8% field-goal percentage in the regular season in pick-and-roll plays, but in the playoffs, his shooting has dropped to 31.3%.

The other primary ball handler in the pick and roll for the Blazers, CJ McCollum, has performed to his regular-season standards in the pick and roll.

Damian Lillard

  • Playoffs: 10.9 possessions per game; 1.08 points per possession
  • Regular season: 10.0 possessions per game; 0.70 points per possession

CJ McCollum

  • Playoffs: 11.0 possessions per game; 0.91 points per possession
  • Regular season: 5.8 possessions per game; 0.97 points per possession

The Blazers are also performing worse with the roll man. During the regular season, Enes Kanter ranked in the 67th percentile with 1.18 points per possession on 1.7 possessions per game. In the playoffs, Kanter has increased his possessions as the roll man to 6.0 per game, but his production has plummeted to 0.73 points per possession.

See pick and roll (roll man) stats here

Like Lillard, Kanter's biggest issue in the pick and roll in the playoffs has been shot making. During the regular season, his field-goal percentage was 57.6% in the pick and roll. In the playoffs, it has slipped to 33.3%.

The other two players who operate as roll men for the Blazers, Zach Collins and Meyers Leonard, have mirrored their regular-season pick-and-roll production.

Enes Kanter

  • Playoffs: 6.0 possessions per game; 0.73 points per possession
  • Regular season: 1.7 possessions per game; 1.18 points per possession

Zach Collins

  • Playoffs: 1.0 possession per game; 1.00 points per possession
  • Regular season: 1.0 possession per game; 1.18 points per possession

Meyers Leonard

  • Playoffs: 1.0 possession per game; 1.31 points per possession
  • Regular season: 1.0 possession per game; 1.50 points per possession

The Blazers aren't going to turn away from the main staple of their offense as the playoffs continue. As pointed out previously, they're using it even more in the playoffs than they did in the regular season. With the series shifting away from Portland for the next couple games, the Blazers need to be better on offense, and that starts with the pick and roll.

Lillard said the Blazers are up to the challenge.

"We’ve just got to maintain our focus, stay sharp in the things we’ve been sharp in, and understand how well we played in the first game and the second game is not going to be good enough in the third game, especially on their home floor. We’ve got to keep our heads down and keep working," Lillard said.

RELATED: 3-on-3 Blazers: Lillard is better than Westbrook, and other lessons from Games 1 and 2

RELATED: Reporter notebook: Blazers rout Thunder 114-94 to take 2-0 series lead

RELATED: Blazers win the West? Charles Barkley says yes, again: Here's what else they're saying

RELATED: Enes Kanter 'the MVP' of Blazers' 104-99 Game 1 victory: Reporter notebook

RELATED: 3-on-3 Blazers: Lillard, Kanter shine in Blazers' Game 1 victory

Jared Cowley writes about the Portland Trail Blazers and other topics for KGW.com. He's the co-host of the 3-on-3 Blazers podcast (listen here). You can reach him on Twitter @jaredcowleyAll stats are from stats.nba.com.

Before You Leave, Check This Out