Can the Heat get more out of Bam on offense? Is it time to give Deandre Ayton his due? We’ve got one observation for all eight first games from the 2021 postseason’s opening-weekend bonanza.
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Where will the (likely) MVP find some help?
Nikola Jokic logged 10 post-ups to open the series against the Trail Blazers, and he made only one pass out of the post. The Blazers didn’t double him once. It’s the 30th time in 73 games Jokic has played this season that he logged at least 10 post-ups. But it’s only the third time he’s logged just one or zero passes out of the post.
The Blazers committed to making Jokic be a scorer. And they succeeded by utilizing single coverage and staying home on shooters.
The Blazers have struggled to defend all season, but they’re now supporting their high-powered offense with a strong game plan and the right type of personnel to give Denver problems. Portland has sturdy bigs in Jusuf Nurkic and Enes Kanter who can battle with Jokic. With Jamal Murray out for the season and Will Barton out indefinitely, the Nuggets don’t have the guards to consistently target Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.
The Nuggets should shoot better in Game 2. They were 30.6 percent from 3 in the game, including 1-for-9 off passes made by Jokic. But they still need to find a secondary source of consistent scoring.
Michael Porter Jr. might be the answer. He scored 25 points despite shooting an uncharacteristic 1-for-10 from 3. He was a perfect 11-for-11 from inside the arc. This season, he’s already proved to be an impactful player running through Jokic’s dribble handoffs, cutting to the rim, and relocating off the ball to get open for 3s. He did plenty of that. But Porter has flashed elite on-ball scoring potential, as detailed in the video below.
In Game 1, Porter was primarily defended by Norman Powell, whom he shot over and drove by. Denver should see what happens if he’s tasked with creating for himself more often. Porter is one of the biggest X factors of the NBA playoffs.
