In a 30-part series leading up to the start of the 2021-22 National Basketball Association season, we will take a look at each NBA franchise from a fantasy perspective. The 25th team we will review is the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Portland Trail Blazers may not get a lot of media attention, primarily because of their location. They are in the Pacific time zone, and do not play in the high-profile California markets.
That is one reason why you might be surprised that Damian Lillard of Oakland, California was third among NBA point guards last season in fantasy points* with 2850. Last season Lillard was second in the entire NBA in points scored with 1928. The only player who scored more points was Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, who had 2015.
What makes Lillard so special is that on occasion he can deliver in dramatic situations. In a game last season, he had 50 points in only 20 field goal attempts in a 125-124 Portland win over New Orleans. In addition to his 1928 points, Lillard had a field goal percentage of .451, a free throw percentage of .928, 275 three-pointers, 283 rebounds, 505 assists, 62 steals and 203 turnovers.
Guard CJ McCollum missed two months of last year with a broken foot, but still recorded 1643 fantasy points. If healthy, you could make the case that McCollum should be worth considering among the top 15 shooting guards.
Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see how Norman Powell does in a full year in Portland after splitting his time in 2020-21 with the Trail Blazers and the Toronto Raptors. Last year he had 1761 fantasy points, which included 1283 points scored, which was a career high by 453 points.
Finally, Robert Covington should be considered in the later rounds if you need a center to score from beyond the arc and get steals. He was fifth last season in three-points made among centers (135), and second last season in steals among centers (101). Covington only trailed Draymond Green of the Warriors, who had 105 steals.
*Please note: To calculate NBA fantasy points for point guards, shooting guards and small forwards, I use the formula (3PTM+Points+Rebounds+Assists+Steals-Turnovers). For power forwards and centers, I use the formula (Points+Rebounds+Assists+Steals+Blocks-Turnovers).
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