As most expected, the Portland Trail Blazers sit toward the bottom of the West through the first few weeks of the season. Yet they’re 6-8 and have rattled off three straight wins, including back-to-back victories over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Blazers probably won’t push for a Play-In spot in the loaded Western Conference, but their defense has carried them to relevance so far. According to Cleaning the Glass, Portland boasts the 12th-ranked defense (113.5 defensive rating) after finishing outside the top 20 each season since 2019. Portland’s offense sits 29th (106.5 offensive rating), but its defense to this point deserves praise.
The Blazers’ defensive focal points are long, rangy forwards. Toumani Camara is the nucleus of their aggressive style, establishing himself as one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders. He leads Portland’s armory of useful wing defenders; all of Jerami Grant, Deni Avdija, Kris Murray, Dalano Banton and Rayan Rupert have contributed.
With Camara at the helm, Portland turns opponents over on 15.5 percent of their offensive possessions, good for the fourth-highest rate in the NBA. As a team, The Blazers are third in block rate (13.2 percent) and fifth in steal rate (9.4 percent). They thrive on making opposing ball-handlers uncomfortable and swarming to find transition chances.
Camara himself is a turnover machine. He’ll often guard the opposing team’s best player, disrupting drives with his length and lateral quickness. He pressures full court after an inbounds pass, prompting elite handlers like Anthony Edwards, Trae Young and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to turn the ball over. When he’s guarding off the ball, Camara digs into gaps and jumps passing lanes with his condor wingspan.
toumani camara this szn so far: +0.9 D-EPM (89th %tile), 2.7% steal rate, 4.5 stops/100 (98th %tile per @databallr), 2.3 forced TOVs per/100, -9 drtg swing
he’s playing like one of the NBA’s best defenders. excellent on ball, vs screens and in passing lanes. deserves more hype pic.twitter.com/xC5crGANiZ
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) November 16, 2024
According to NBA RAPM, Camara forces 4.3 turnovers per 100 possessions, good for fifth in the NBA (minimum 100 total minutes). He defends 13.5 shots per game, the most of any Blazer. Few defenders do more for their teams than him. He isn’t a high-end shot blocker, but is a willing and active help defender at the basket.
Despite his offensive struggles, Avdija is one of 17 NBA players with a steal rate higher than 2 percent and a block rate higher than 3 percent. His teammates, Robert Williams III and Dalano Banton, also appear on that list. Jerami Grant’s 3.8 percent block rate is his highest since 2018 with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Against Portland, opposing offenses attempt 45.7 percent of their shots beyond the arc, which is the fourth-highest rate in the NBA. The Blazers weaponize their wings to pinch in on drives and fly down to the rim, letting teams fire away from three. Only 31.4 percent of opponents’ shots come at the basket, the league’s seventh-lowest rate.
This plan can’t function without a strong rim protector to deter shots when the perimeter defenders falter. Opponents shoot a robust 66.2 percent within five feet, but that number should decrease as Williams and Donovan Clingan find their footing.
Williams hasn’t been able to shake nagging injuries throughout his career. He’s played just four games this season, but he’s a rim-protection machine, sporting an elite 9.3 percent block rate. He’s fairly mobile and springy, capable of guarding other perimeter-oriented bigs better than his peers in Portland.
very good to see robert williams back and playing great ball on both ends pic.twitter.com/hpHcNgTLv4
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) November 18, 2024
But Clingan is the crux of the Blazers’ defense, and they’ll need him to reach elite status. The seventh overall pick from this past summer is only averaging 16.2 minutes per game, but that’s skyrocketed to 24.6 over his last three with Deandre Ayton sidelined. In Portland’s win Wednesday over Minnesota, Clingan flashed his future of defensive dominance when he blocked eight shots, five of which came during the fourth quarter.
Teams struggle to score over every part of his 7-foot-2 frame, and he has a league-leading 13.1 percent block rate. His technique, timing and hand placement are excellent for a 20-year-old rookie. According to NBA RAPM, opponents shoot 12 percent worse when Clingan contests at the basket. Offenses can drag him out of the paint and into space, but few bigs his age guard the rim like he does.
opponents are shooting 12% worse at the rim when donovan clingan contests compared to their average (per @databallr) this season and his 13.1% block rate is first in the league
already such an imposing rim protector. he’s gonna be good for a long, long time pic.twitter.com/o9iLbMf4m5
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) November 18, 2024
As Clingan continues adjusting to the NBA’s speed and physicality, Portland will keep wreaking havoc in front of him. Even with Ayton — who’s a limited interior defender — on the floor, the Blazers maintain their defensive focus.
The Blazers aren’t a good NBA team yet. They are, however, cementing their identity: playing fast, collapsing the floor and sparking turnovers. Many playoff teams haven’t formed a cogent identity, let alone those projected for a top-five pick.
Hopefully, Portland’s offense will improve as Shaedon Sharpe acclimates himself (back-to-back 30-point games) and Anfernee Simons returns to the lineup. Any development from Scoot Henderson, who has improved defensively end from his rookie season, would help greatly. But for the moment, the Blazers will lean on their promising defensive core to inch closer to contention.
