The Portland Trail Blazers will be getting help to emerge from their in-season abyss. According to coach Terry Stotts, starting center Robin Lopez will likely return to the lineup on Tuesday after missing his team’s previous 23 games with a right fractured hand.
Stotts says if everything goes well, @rolopez42 will be active vs. Utah
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) February 2, 2015
Lopez was sidelined on December 15 after breaking his hand during a win over the San Antonio Spurs. Though the Blazers got off to a great start without him, they’ve lost five of their past six games to fall to 13-10 while Lopez was injured.
Portland’s overall numbers since Lopez’s injury are solid: its 103.0 and 99.9 offensive and defensive ratings over that timeframe aren’t far off those it registered before he was forced to the bench. The performance of Stotts’ team on the defensive end without its backline intimidator and most frequent talker has been especially encouraging.
But Portland has faltered on both ends of late, as its struggled to score and stop opponents from doing so. The latter aspect is where Lopez’s reintegration will provide immediate dividends.
Though the Blazers’ commitment to scheme is ceaseless, Lopez is the only player on the roster capable of consistently covering holes that inevitably develop throughout a game. He might not boast the raw numbers of premier rim-protectors, but is still close to elite in that regard. His energy and emotion on defense should prove a boon to the Blazers, too.
Where Damian Lillard and company miss Lopez most when they have the ball is pick-and-roll situations. RoLo is a very solid screen-setter and has enough of a floor-game to act as a rolling or popping threat – whether its creating a shot for himself or his teammates.
Portland needed a jolt of some kind to get back on track after losing eight of its past 10 games. While Lopez is hardly the all-encompassing force that can single-handedly provide it, his addition alone provides some positive momentum for the Blazers at the very least. Given their poor recent play, that’s reason enough for a small dose of optimism before the All-Star break.
What do you think?
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