Blazers may have already fixed the shooting flaw that crushed their playoff run

The writer argues that the Portland Trail Blazers appear to have addressed their outside shooting struggles based on promising early preseason performances. Portland defeated the British team London Lions 119-66 on Monday, hitting 16-of-34 three-pointers (47 percent) despite Damian Lillard sitting out. The writer highlights this efficiency following a previous preseason game against the Golden State Warriors where Portland shot 39 percent from deep with Lillard.

Rip City Project notes that poor three-point shooting contributed to Portland's prior playoff exit against the San Antonio Spurs. While general manager Joe Cronin largely relied on internal development, marginal additions like Micah Potter, and Lillard's return, head coach Micah Nori plans to improve efficiency through better shot selection tailored to players' strengths.