How The Blazers’ Veterans Can Lead The Postseason Charge

The same goes for Damian Lillard, who is not playing at the moment. However, he makes an impact as a leader in the locker room and on the bench. When you look at the bench, Lillard is always there, teaching his younger teammates.

Acting head coach Tiago Splitter is lucky to have all types of veterans on his roster. Holiday, Lillard, and Grant are the 30-something players the younger Blazers respect. However, they do have more veterans like Robert Williams III and Matisse Thybulle who also play key roles for Portland.

Holiday’s Leadership Can Boost The Team’s Success

Among the many Portland-based veterans, Holiday is the most experienced one. At the same time, he is also quite successful with his two championships with the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics.

He is a locker room leader for the Blazers, which matters in a postseason chase. Holiday’s leadership will be a deciding factor because the team will follow what he does. Considering Lillard is inactive due to his injury, Holiday will be the most respected player on the court.

With his experience, the Blazers know they have a reliable leader. He will be the most impactful player not only because of his numbers, but also for his influence. Henderson, Sharpe, Sidy Cissoko, and other young players have all learned from Holiday.

Splitter trusts Holiday, which will be an important point in the future. As long as he is on the floor or even on the bench, he will have an impact. The most level-headed players thrive in a high-pressure postseason charge, and Holiday is the right player to have.

Grant’s Impact Is Still Valuable For The Blazers

Apart from Holiday, Grant is also an important player for Portland despite being a sixth man earlier in the season. That changed because of the Blazers’ constant injury struggles, making him a starter again.

Grant has not missed a beat because he continues to be one of Portland’s best offensive players. He is averaging 18.8 points per game while shooting 37.7% from beyond the arc. The last bit is important because the Blazers are starving for shooters, and Grant is arguably the most reliable one.

He is also a capable isolation scorer, which is important because of Sharpe and Avdija’s absences. With the Blazers’ veterans like Holiday and Grant, the offense does not take a massive dip. Of course, Sharpe and Avdija are the stars, but the veterans are stepping up when needed.

Splitter’s Blazers would want to keep fighting for that postseason spot. Grant’s impact will be important, especially with the Blazers’ offense continuing to struggle. As long as everyone plays their role well, Portland could be a surprising team in the postseason.