It's Impressive How Quickly Portland Built a Golden State-Like Roster

We’ve already covered how quickly the Cavs have turned into the Warriors. Cleveland’s seemingly ordinary acquisition of Channing Frye gives them the ability to field a “Lineup of Death” with five players who can make 3-pointers. The Warriors trotted out a “Lineup of Death” last year in the NBA Finals – Draymond Green at center – and it instantly became the hottest new thing in the NBA.

Everybody wants one.

And look at how quickly the Portland Trailblazers fielded one. It was less than a year ago that LaMarcus Aldridge left Portland for the Spurs, and instantly the Trailblazers became an afterthought in the West. In fact, they lost four starters from a playoff team – Wesley Matthews (to Dallas), Nic Batum (Charlotte), Robin Lopez (New York) and Arron Afflalo (New York) – and still made the 2016 playoffs.

Yes, Portland did get lucky that Chris Paul and Blake Griffin got hurt in the first round, and yes, Stephen Curry missed three games in the 2nd round, but watching Portland in the postseason, it was undeniable: GM Neil Olshey realized where the league was headed, and wisely rebuilt in the mold of Golden State.

CJ McCollum, their 2013 lottery pick, slid in for Matthews. Mason Plumlee, a 1st round pick by Brooklyn in 2013, replaced Lopez at center. Another former 1st round pick, Al-Farouq Aminu, came over from Dallas to play SF.

There was nobody who could possibly replace Aldridge (his shots went to Lillard and McCollum), and so they tried different players at PF – Meyers Leonard (their other 2012 lottery pick) started 10 games; Noah Vonleh (Charlotte’s 2014 lottery pick) started 56.

Against the Warriors, Portland coach Terry Stotts made a brilliant move – he moved Aminu to PF, and inserted Maurice Harkless (a 2012 lottery pick by the 76ers) at small forward. He also got great mileage out of Allen Crabbe, a 2013 2nd round pick by Cleveland.

Here’s how that lineup shot 3-pointers against the Warriors:
Lillard: 43%
Hardkless: 35%
McCollum: 32%
Aminu: 55%
Crabbe: 52%

[Aside: All future GMs take note – the Blazers have acquired an entire rotation of talented wings and bigs who were drafted in the lottery. Harkless couldn’t find a role in Orlando; Portland grabbed him. Aminu is on his 4th team in six years and is coming into his own as a 3-point threat. Gerald Henderson (12th pick in 2009) was a valuable 28-year old “veteran” coming off the bench. It’s still early with Vonleh, who was a star at Indiana.]

The player to watch next season in Portland is Meyers Leonard, the former Illinois big man who developed a 3-pointer this season (37 percent on 228 attempts). The 7-foot-1 center will give the Blazers several options for a “Lineup of Death.”

This Portland teams feels a little like the Warriors did four years ago: Upset Denver in the 1st round, the world discovers the Splash Brothers, and then the young kids push mighty San Antonio to six games in a tight, eye-opening series. The Warriors lost in the first round the following year to the Clippers in seven games; they haven’t lost a playoff series since. Incidentally, that was the series in which Draymond Green showed he was more than a 2nd round pick – he scored 24 points in Game 7 and hit five three-pointers (more than he’d made the rest of the series).