The Portland Trail Blazers are set to meet the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs. The Blazers are led by superstar Damian Lillard while the Nuggets are led by MVP candidate Nikola Jokic. With Jamal Murray out for the season for the Nuggets, it put them in a tough position to win. However, Jokic stepped up to the challenge and kept the team afloat with Murray out. With Murray out, these two teams match up pretty evenly.
However, in order for the Blazers to potentially win the series, CJ McCollum will need to step up.
Lillard is one of the best players in the league and we know what to expect from him in the playoffs. But, his running made will need to step up. The Nuggets still have plenty of scoring options and the Blazers have a bad defense which will force the games to be high scoring. McCollum will be key as he can help them keep up with Jokic and the Nuggets.
McCollum has never made an All-Star game but has proved himself as a great scorer. He averaged a career-high 23.1 points per game this season which makes the scoring punch of him and Lillard lethal. In this series, McCollum will need to step up even more to have a shot against the Nuggets. If he is able to average 25 points per game plus on efficient shooting, it's going to help the Blazers' chances of coming out victorious.
Blazers guards need to step up defensively
McCollum and Lillard will both have to step on the defensive end. The defense for the Blazers ranks 29th in the league. That lackluster defense will not cut it in a playoff series especially against a Nuggets offense that ranks 5th in the Association. The Portland guards will be key because they can not allow the role-playing guards of the Nuggets to get going.
We already know that Jokic will play well and Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon are going to score as well. What the Blazers can not let happen is let other players get going so stopping the guards will be vital.
McCollum should be able to score at will alongside Lillard in this series. He will likely be matched up against Austin Rivers who is a solid defender but nothing for McCollum to fear. It will be important for him to be able to take over a game especially if the Nuggets are double-teaming Lillard.
McCollum's playmaking will be key
An underrated part of McCollum's game is his playmaking ability. He averaged a career high 4.7 assists per game this season. It will be key for him to become a secondary playmaker for this group against this Nuggets team. Although the ball will mostly be in Lillard's hands, McCollum will have to initiate the offense when Lillard is being hoarded by defenders.
It will be a tall task for the Blazers but they have a good shot in this series. Lillard will do everything he can to get them to win but McCollum will need to rise to the occasion. With so much offensive firepower on the other side, the Blazers will need to keep up on both ends of the floor.
Look for McCollum to step up for the Blazers and be the X-factor in the series.
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