Diving Into the Trail Blazers’ Postseason Chase

With the abundance of talent on the roster, it is difficult to go against the Blazers. Avdija’s role is to be the star player, but the rest of the team is doing well, too. Shaedon Sharpe, in particular, is having a breakout year of his own, averaging 21.4 points per game.

The playoffs are a possibility now more than ever because they are healthy. Portland struggled with injuries throughout the season, losing several key contributors at various points. However, Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday are back, and they are ready to spearhead the offense.

Splitter’s System Needs Improvements To Be Successful

Of course, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for the Trail Blazers. Acting head coach Tiago Splitter has done relatively well this season. He took over from Chauncey Billups one game in, and he has helped the Blazers succeed.

It is not a game-changing appointment because the Blazers are still barely in the postseason seeds. That is due to Splitter’s system lacking some dynamism, especially on offense. Most of the time, Splitter’s offense centers on having Avdija or Sharpe play isolation basketball.

The Blazers would be much better if they had a more dynamic offense. Now that Henderson and Holiday are back, he could run more sets with true point guards. They also have a knack for making the best passes, so Avdija and Sharpe can play more off the ball.

Defensively, playing drop coverage with Clingan is good. However, it does have some drawbacks. Splitter can improve upon the defense by diversifying his rotation, as Camara, Wesley, and Sidy Cissoko all provide lockdown defense.

As long as they can be more cohesive, the Blazers under Splitter could be a playoff team. It will be challenging, but they have the talent to do so.

Avdija’s Role Will Be Important For The Playoff Push

As a first-time All-Star, Avdija now has expectations to live up to. Most teams were still adjusting to him, but now he has the spotlight on him. Before the All-Star break, some teams figured out how to defend him, so he had to adjust.

Splitter, Avdija, and his teammates must do better to maximize their star’s impact. Deferring to Sharpe or Jerami Grant is good, but everyone knows that Avdija is the go-to guy now.

He and Splitter must come up with solutions to resolve the issues. If they can do that, the Blazers could reach the postseason for the first time since 2021.