KEY POINTS

  • The Portland Trail Blazers recently acquired Larry Nance Jr. from the Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Many fans wanted Lauri Markkanen for his offense, but defense is what Portland needs desperately
  • Nance will slot in perfectly in new head coach Chauncey Billups' game plan for the new season

The Portland Trail Blazers have had a rocky offseason as they try to make Damian Lillard’s title aspirations a reality.

Their biggest move this offseason was to re-sign wing player Norman Powell to a four-year, $90 million extension, which is fine since Portland is not really the hottest destination for free agents.

There were rumors that have hounded Lillard during this offseason that he was going to ask for a trade out of Portland but he has since shut them all down.

But the Blazers’ front office did a solid job recently when they were able to acquire Larry Nance Jr. from the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade that saw Lauri Markkanen join the Cavaliers.

Many fans were lamenting the fact that the Blazers were unable to acquire Markkanen instead because of his ability as a floor-spacing big that can flourish alongside Lillard and CJ McCollum.

But the Blazers’ problem has never been on offense.

According to Cleaning the Glass, Portland ranked 29th in terms of points allowed per 100 possessions last year, allowing teams to score 116.7 points.

Derrick Jones Jr. and a protected first-round pick were the price to pay for Nance, and it is a deal that Blazers fans should be comfortable with.

Jones was an important defensive player for them, but his lack of ability to be a presence in the interior was what hurt them most.

Powell’s development into being a two-way player made Jones expendable this offseason.

Nance will bring defense and energy off the bench as he backs up Robert Covington in the power forward spot, which has been one of general manager Neil Olshey’s points of emphasis this offseason.

He is a team-centric piece in the sense that he excels on switching against larger, lengthier forwards and providing weak-side help, helping generate turnovers off steals (he had 1.7 steals last year), and generally disrupting the offense.

With Chauncey Billups as the new head coach of the Blazers, the defense will be their calling card going into the new season--and Nance will fit right in perfectly.

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