The Portland Trail Blazers started the season about as well as anyone could have hoped for in a blowout of the Phoenix Suns.
But this is the NBA, and there’s no time to bask in the glory of a single game as the Blazers head south for their first road game of the year at the Sacramento Kings.
Here are three things I’ll be looking for tonight:
Can the shooting stay consistent?
It’s been no secret that during the Blazers down swing the last few years that one of the worst parts of the team was its 3-point shooting, outside of Damian Lillard.
In the Blazers season-opening win, they shot 40 percent from beyond the arc, and specifically the starters went 16-for-28 for a whopping 57.1 percent. Even Donovan Clingan hit two deep balls.
I don’t expect Portland to shoot the ball that well every night, but even getting this team to consistently make 40 percent is going to change the dynamic of the offense.
When you have powerful drivers like Deni Avdija and Ja Morant, adding in those consistent shot makers on the outside is going to force defenses to give in to something and live with the other.
Can Scoot Henderson start to reign it in?
Henderson scored 15 points off the bench in the season-opener and once again looked the part of being an athletic and explosive player.
However, he also had four turnovers in just 19 minutes of play with one assist.
The explosiveness is welcomed, especially if he’s improving his finishing around the rim. But it’s one thing to attack recklessly and another to attack while still under control.
Fortunately the Suns were so far behind that those turnovers really didn’t matter, but having a cleaner game from Henderson off the bench is going to be required when games are tighter at the end of the third and leading into the fourth.
What will the rebounding look like?
Portland pulled in 56 rebounds against Phoenix, and for context, Houston led the league last season in team rebounds per game with 48.1.
Now the Blazers are going against the Kings and rebounding machine Domantas Sabonis, who had 18 rebounds in the season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Avdija was big on the glass with 10 rebounds and Robert Williams came off the bench to pull down 10 as well. However, Toumani Camara only had two boards, and Portland will need more from him to attack the magnet that is Sabonis.
Still, the Blazers have to be happy with the glass game (and pretty much everything) after the first game of the season. Now it’s all about being consistent, and beating an inferior team like the Kings by not playing to their level.
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