During the 2011-2012 season, the Portland Trail Blazers thought they had it with Jamal Crawford: a jolt off the bench that could greatly help a team with title aspirations. Despite his undeniable ability to score, he was too inconsistent and didn’t provide the defense the bench unit needed to satisfactorily compliment the efforts of the starting five. In the years since, despite the Blazers perennial playoff appearances, they have struggled to piece together a bench capable of taking the load off the team’s stars. They’ve had their fair share of solid shooters, rebounders and hard-working albeit inexperienced players who tried to impact the game in every way possible, but no one who could provide both versatile scoring and tenacious defense.
Entering the season, Portland featured a bench unit that was much improved over last year’s, bringing in Chris Kaman and Dorell Wright while benefiting from a healthy C.J. McCollum and the return of veteran Steve Blake, but lacking was still someone who could make the group a consistent force. That’s why General Manager Neil Olshey targeted Arron Afflalo at the trade deadline, looking to acquire the 6’5” guard from the Denver Nuggets.
He was able to do so, surrendering a future first-round pick, small forward Victor Claver, power forward Thomas Robinson, and guard Will Barton. Claver seldom saw minutes, and while the latter two players had their moments and were perhaps underused given their contributions in spurts, they were worth parting with to obtain a player of Afflalo’s caliber. Just why is he so worth the price and considered by many to be a steal for that package? He’s an efficient shooter, with a fine mid-range game, consistent jumper from deep, and a knack for getting to the rim, in addition to being regarded as an above-average defender. Afflalo was having a down year for a disappointing Denver team, shooting 42 percent from the field and 33 from three-point range and therefore below his respective career marks of 45 and 38 percent, but he has the tools to find his stroke again and, in turn, make the Blazers oh so dangerous come playoff time.
To assure chemistry is attained when welcoming such an important player at this stage, Afflalo, 29 and in his contract year, will have to sacrifice the minutes he is accustomed to while playing behind Wesley Matthews. The expected drop in minutes from his Denver days doesn’t seem to bother him, however, exemplifying the kind of unselfish attitude he will bring to an already unselfish group. It is clear he has one thing on his mind: winning a championship. He said it himself in a video posted to Instagram upon the trade’s completion:
“Almost nine years for me… 20-plus for the city of Portland… You already know what I’m on, it’s championship time.”
He further expressed the desire to hoist the ultimate trophy with the Blazers in a letter to the team, penned on The Player’s Tribune:
“As excited as I am about this opportunity, I want to make this clear: I’m here to help this team reach its goal of winning a title. It’s been 38 years since the Trail Blazers last won an NBA championship. It isn’t just enough to be a contender — it’s time for us to show the media, fans and most importantly, ourselves, why we’re a championship-caliber team.”
Lofty aspirations, to be sure, but now, for the Blazers they may finally be realistic ones with Afflalo in the fold. He has the talent to be off the bench what Matthews provides as a starter, the kind of depth teams strive for but rarely truly find. The goal is to have a bench unit that can, to the best of their abilities and in anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes per game, mirror what the starters bring to the table. This is hard to assemble, and Portland doesn’t necessarily have it, but an intelligent team player and proven scorer like Afflalo has the makeup to do his part.
Given the minutes he is used to getting, it is unlikely he will reach his full potential in this role, but with what playing time he does receive it is a safe bet he will be a consistent contributor on a gamely basis. And, given his talent and focus on both ends of the court, he is the kind of player past championship teams have touted: someone who can hit big shots and get defensive stops.
That’s the difference maker. Portland has Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Matthews, but when defenses intently focus on their movements come playoff time it is often the Afflalos of the NBA who teams count on to push them over the top. Many other upper echelon teams in the Western Conference have the supporting cast necessary to compliment stars, and perhaps the Blazers now do, too, as Afflalo could very well be the missing piece to the puzzle Portland has long desired to complete.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
