The Portland Trail Blazers are coming off of 2018-19 campaign in which they snagged the third seed in the Western Conference and made it all the way to the conference finals for the first time since 2000.
Of course, the Blazers were ousted by the Golden State Warriors in a four-game sweep, but it was still a major step forward for a franchise that had been defined by playoff failures for much of the last two decades.
While Portland generally isn't considered a title contender heading into next season, the Blazers are still looked at as one of the top teams in the West, and there will be a bit of pressure on the club as a result.
So, here are the three Blazers facing the most pressure going into the 2019-20 NBA season.
3. Rodney Hood
Portland was able to re-sign Rodney Hood on an incredibly affordable two-year, $11.7 million deal this offseason, with the second year representing a player option.
But while that contract is a bargain no matter how you slice it, Hood came that cheap for a reason.
Hood has been largely disappointing since being traded from the Utah Jazz to the Cleveland Cavaliers midway through the 2017-18 campaign, as he has shown little sign of improvement and has actually regressed a bit.
The 26-year-old isn't a very efficient scorer, and he also is not a good defender.
Seeing that he has a player option for 2020-21, this is essentially a contract year for Hood, who still needs to prove he can be consistent to earn a lucrative long-term deal from someone. He had his moments in the playoffs for the Blazers this past season, but he needs to do more.
2. Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard is coming off arguably the best season of his career, and he went further in the playoffs than he ever has before.
Lillard is also one of the most well-liked players in the league, and for good reason: the man is class personified and is extraordinarily fun to watch, almost like a mini Stephen Curry.
But let's take a step back from Lillard the person and examine Lillard the player for a second. When you do that, you'll notice that Lillard's postseason track record is not all that great.
He is a lifetime 40.6 percent shooter in the playoffs, making 35.3 percent of his triples. To his credit, Lillard was a monster in these past playoffs before suffering an ugly rib injury. This injury severely limited him in the second round onward, but overall, Lillard has been a postseason disappointment throughout much of his career, even with two series-ending buzzer-beaters on his resume.
Now 29 years old, the time has come for Lillard to start putting together consistent playoff performances.
1. Hassan Whiteside
The Miami Heat signed Hassan Whiteside to a massive extension back in 2016, and they soon came to regret it.
They regretted it even more when Whiteside opted into his player option for 2019-20, but they were lucky enough to find a trading partner in the Blazers who were willing to take him on.
With Jusuf Nurkic sidelined for the foreseeable future as he recovers from his gruesome broken leg injury, Whiteside is slated to be the starting center in Portland. Now, it's time for Whiteside to change the narrative.
People have developed a generally negative opinion of Whiteside over the last couple of years. As traditional centers continue to be phased out of the NBA landscape, Whiteside has become more and more of a punching bag as time has passed.
But Whiteside will be joining a legitimately good team for the first time in his NBA career, so perhaps that will flesh out his talents completely.
Follow Us
Subscribe