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The Portland Trail Blazers had a miserable offseason, as they lost nearly their entire starting lineup. LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, Robin Lopez, and Wesley Matthews are no longer on the team. The Trail Blazers went on to add Noah Vonleh, Al-Farouq Aminu, Maurice Harkless, Gerald Henderson, Mason Plumlee, and Ed Davis.
It’s unlikely that the Trail Blazers will win anywhere near the 51 games they won last season.
Despite having one of the worst offseasons in recent memory, the Trail Blazers have a terrific backcourt. Superstar Damian Lillard signed a five-year, $120 million contract. C.J. McCollum appears destined for a huge year, after a few breakout performances in the postseason.
McCollum averaged 6.8 points in 15.7 minutes last season. The 24-year-old is a terrific scorer who can create his own shot from anywhere on the floor. At Lehigh he was unstoppable more times than not. As a senior at Lehigh he averaged 23.9 points and five rebounds.
In this year’s playoffs he showed how good he can truly be. In the first round against the Memphis Grizzlies he averaged 17 points and four rebounds. In the last three games of the series he averaged 25.7 points and four rebounds. McCollum turned heads when he went for 33 points in game five, nearly bringing the Trail Blazers back.
This season McCollum is expected to be the Trail Blazers’ secondary scoring option after Lillard. Unfortunately for McCollum fans it appears his role is undetermined. It’s unclear if he will start alongside Lillard or if he backs up newly acquired Gerald Henderson. If McCollum doesn’t start, there’s a realistic chance that he can win the NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
One can expect McCollum to average around 16 points and four rebounds a game this season.
The future is bright for McCollum and the Trail Blazers.
George Middleton is a Los Angeles Lakers/NBA beat writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @georgemiddlet0n, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
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