Blazers Welcome Back Much-Needed Depth

• The Portland Trail Blazers are currently ranked ninth in the Western Conference at 29-37.

• Center Jusuf Nurkic is back after breaking his leg at the end of the 2018-2019 season. He was having a breakout year with 15.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game before the injury.

• Hassan Whiteside is second in the NBA in rebounds with 14.2 per game and first in blocked shots with 3.1 per game.

• The Blazers are +400 to earn a playoff berth and are +15000 to win it all, per DraftKings.

Pause In Season Allows A Star To Return

If there is one team outside the top-eight in the extended NBA season that has a chance of making the playoffs and doing some damage, it’s the Portland Trail Blazers. This season has been a disappointment, as the Blazers are 29-37 and currently sit in ninth place. However, with some key players back, they could easily resemble the team that finished third in the Western Conference and won 53 games in 2018-2019. 

A big difference between this year to date and last is the absence of center Jusuf Nurkic. The center broke his leg in the final weeks of the last regular-season and the Blazers were not the same without him. Nurkic was enjoying a breakout campaign by averaging 15.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game before his injury.

Nurkic is back and he will have a significant impact. The 7'0" big man joins Hassan Whiteside and Zach Collins to give the Blazers a trio of formidable rim protectors up front. The Blazers currently rank 10th in total rebounding, 17th in offensive rebounding, and 2nd in blocked shots. Whiteside has been an interior beast, averaging 14.2 rebounds per contest (second-best in NBA) and 3.1 blocked shots per game (best in NBA).

Like free money? We thought so. We read all the fine print, rated and reviewed all of these awesome offers for you. Get in on the action today by selecting your state below and take advantage of our exclusive deals!

Loaded With Bigs

Adding Nurkic and Collins to the rotation gives the Blazers one of the most formidable and physical front lines in the NBA, particularly on defense. Nurkic is one of the better defensive big men in the conference and gives the Blazers an offensive threat in the paint. Portland has indicated that Collins will start at power forward, Nurkic at center, and Carmelo Anthony at small forward. Of course, the Blazers have one of the best starting backcourts in the NBA in Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.

Whiteside is expected to come off the bench, at least initially, when the season continue. This will give some much-needed front court depth. When Whiteside and Nurkic are on the floor at the same time, they should cause a matchup nightmare for certain teams. With Nurkic, Whiteside, and Collins all ready to go, the Blazers are a dangerous team thatʻs fully loaded. If they can get themselves into position to make the play-in round for the playoffs, youʻve got to love their chances.

Find out how you can use BetQL to dominate the NBA when the season continues!