As if the Portland Trail Blazers didn’t have enough problems with injured player, they lose their starting power-forward LaMarcus Aldridge to a thumb injury that will take him out of basketball for a period between six and eight weeks. The Blazers are already without Robin Lopez (hand) and Joel Freeland (shoulder), both frontcourt players. This will be the ultimate test for Portland’s depth in their quest to succeed in the Western Conference.
“It’s tough, we’ve been in a pretty good rhythm most of the season,” Aldridge said after he was diagnosed with a surgery-needing injury. “We’ve lost guys a lot this season—this is a totally different season from last year—but we have a lot of guys here who can step up and play better, and make plays. So I think the team shouldn’t stall, we’re going to get guys back soon, so that should be good for us.” It’s hard to disagree with Aldridge – the Blazers are a lot better team than they were last year, having a better bench and more experience. However, this is on the positive side – on the negative one, last season’s squad was maybe the most durable in the entire NBA, as it had played with only two different lineups throughout the course of 82-game regular season. But this year, it’s a whole different story. It will be very crucial that Batum’s injury is not a serious one, as he sustained some kind of wrist injury in the Blazers loss against the Boston Celtics.
The healthy players left on the roster are not a lot, but it’s not like the Blazers can’t make things work out. It will a lot harder on both ends without Aldridge on the floor, however it’s not like it’s something impossible. Damian Lillard has been playing magnificent all season long and if he continues this trend while Aldridge is out, it will be a bit easier for the team to overcome the absence. It will be crucial for the other injured players to be healthy as soon as possible, because if Robin Lopez and Nicolas Batum are on the floor, things aren’t looking too bad for the Blazers. All in all, the Blazers have solid chances at staying relevant even without their star player.
NBA News: Aldridge injure, can the Blazers maintain their form without him?
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