Portland Trail Blazers
2017-18What were the Portland Trail Blazers in 2017-18, and what needed front-office attention?
POR 2017-18: the clearest roster problems were Rim pressure, Interior finishing. The strongest covered areas were Rim protection. The main rotation-player dependency cases were Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Al-Farouq Aminu, Jusuf Nurkic, Ed Davis. Structural basketball need, injuries, replacement lineups, and financial constraints are reported separately.
What can be trusted
Supported strengths — production, who carries it, and what money is already committed.Full reading
POR 2017-18 Rim protection: this was a team strength; production ranked at the 92.6 league percentile. Jusuf Nurkic supplied 27.1% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. Financial commitment is shown separately and does not determine basketball quality.
What needs attention
The clearest roster problems the evidence supports.Full reading
POR 2017-18 Rim pressure: this was one of the team's clearest roster problems; production ranked at the 0.0 league percentile. Damian Lillard supplied 37.1% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. The cap allocation to this critical need was comparatively low.
Full reading
POR 2017-18 Interior finishing: this was one of the team's clearest roster problems; production ranked at the 22.2 league percentile. Jusuf Nurkic supplied 32.1% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. The cap allocation to this critical need was comparatively low.
Every covered basketball function (11)
| Function | Reading | League percentile | Largest contributor | Recent availability | Salary commitment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creation | SupportedMiddle of the league | 52nd percentile | Damian Lillard · 27.4% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Defensive event creation | SupportedMiddle of the league | 33rd percentile | Al-Farouq Aminu · 25.5% | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Interior finishing | SupportedCritical team problem | 22nd percentile | Jusuf Nurkic · 32.1% | No recent availability layer for this season | Comparatively little salary committed to a critical need |
| Passing connectivity | SupportedMiddle of the league | 26th percentile | Damian Lillard · 30.7% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Point-of-attack defense proxy | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Pat Connaughton | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Rebounding | SupportedMiddle of the league | 44th percentile | Al-Farouq Aminu · 29.1% | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Rim pressure | SupportedCritical team problem | 0th percentile | Damian Lillard · 37.1% | No recent availability layer for this season | Comparatively little salary committed to a critical need |
| Rim protection | SupportedTeam strength | 93rd percentile | Jusuf Nurkic · 27.1% | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Screening | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Pat Connaughton | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Shooting and spacing | SupportedMiddle of the league | 63rd percentile | CJ McCollum · 38.4% | No recent availability layer for this season | Cost concentrated in one provider |
| Switch coverage proxy | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Pat Connaughton | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
Who the team depends on
What disappears when a player is removed — and whether an observed replacement five exists.
POR was highly dependent on Damian Lillard. Removing him cost about 27.4% of creation production, and lineups with him performed 5.8 points per 100 possessions better than lineups without him. The best supported replacement group was [Ed Davis, CJ McCollum, Shabazz Napier, Pat Connaughton, Zach Collins] over 220 possessions.
Replacement evidence
Ed Davis · CJ McCollum · Shabazz Napier · Pat Connaughton · Zach Collins
shrunk net 6.806 over 220 possessions — small sample
on floor 5,203 possessions · off floor 2,315 possessions
POR did not have strong functional backup for CJ McCollum in shooting; removing him cost about 38.4% of the team's production in that area. The next observed option was Damian Lillard.
Replacement evidence
Ed Davis · Damian Lillard · Shabazz Napier · Pat Connaughton · Zach Collins
shrunk net 4.833 over 156 possessions — small sample
on floor 5,662 possessions · off floor 1,841 possessions
POR did not have strong functional backup for Al-Farouq Aminu in event creation; removing him cost about 25.5% of the team's production in that area. The next observed option was Shabazz Napier.
Replacement evidence
Ed Davis · CJ McCollum · Shabazz Napier · Pat Connaughton · Zach Collins
shrunk net 6.806 over 220 possessions — small sample
on floor 4,065 possessions · off floor 3,444 possessions
POR did not have strong functional backup for Jusuf Nurkic in rim protection; removing him cost about 27.1% of the team's production in that area. The next observed option was Al-Farouq Aminu.
Replacement evidence
Ed Davis · CJ McCollum · Shabazz Napier · Pat Connaughton · Zach Collins
shrunk net 6.806 over 220 possessions — small sample
on floor 4,081 possessions · off floor 3,437 possessions
POR lineups performed 4.4 points per 100 possessions better with Ed Davis than without him. The best supported alternative was [Al-Farouq Aminu, Damian Lillard, Maurice Harkless, CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic] over 875 possessions.
Replacement evidence
Al-Farouq Aminu · Damian Lillard · Maurice Harkless · CJ McCollum · Jusuf Nurkic
shrunk net 4.629 over 875 possessions
on floor 2,696 possessions · off floor 4,832 possessions
Function loss, lineup performance, and replacement-lineup evidence remain separate; none is causal player value.
What injuries change
Recent absences and the basketball needs they created or worsened.No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season.
Where money is tied up
Cap position and salary allocation — shown beside the basketball picture, never blended into it.Most salary is mapped to creation; the highest-need area is rim pressure. Salary-to-function mapping covers 96% of charges.
Exact figures
Exact transaction legality withheld — no exception-usage, cap-hold, and transaction ledger evidence.
What the evidence cannot answer
Deliberate abstentions — where the database refuses a conclusion rather than guessing.- Point-of-attack defense proxy: Basketball conclusion withheld
- Screening: Basketball conclusion withheld
- Switch coverage proxy: Basketball conclusion withheld
Exact transaction legality: Exact transaction legality withheld — no exception-usage, cap-hold, and transaction ledger evidence
Team-season situation report. Structural basketball quality, recent availability, player dependence, replacement lineups, and financial position remain separate. No acquisition recommendation, transaction grade, coaching grade, outcome claim, or causal value is inferred.