The Portland Trail Blazers are perhaps the biggest X-factor team in Orlando as the NBA prepares to resume its regular season later this month, as the season stoppage allowed two key Portland players to fully prepare for a return.
Big man Jusuf Nurkic, who suffered devastating leg fractures in March of 2019, was set to return this March and is expected to be a starter after an extended rehab period. The Blazers will also be welcoming back Zach Collins, who has been out since October with a shoulder injury.
The rotational shuffle means that veteran Carmelo Anthony, who had been playing power forward with the Blazers down on size, will be able to shift back to a small forward role. In anticipation of the switch, Anthony has been hard at work in the gym and refining his diet in an effort to slim down. In total, Anthony has only lost about five pounds, but he looks noticeably leaner.
Via ESPN:
“That was a big motivation for me to come back at that exact weight, or around that weight, 230, 235. I haven’t seen 230, 235 since early, early in my career. So now it puts me back in a mindset of that from a confidence standpoint knowing that I was able to get back to that. On the court I feel good, I feel healthy. I have a lot of clarity, too. All of that was part of the plan.”
https://twitter.com/trailblazers/status/1284235276932526082
With Nurkic back at full strength and Anthony looking to be in the best shape he’s been all year, top seeds in the West may be hoping to avoid a potential matchup with Portland in the opening round. The Blazers are currently out of the playoffs, 3.5 games back of the No. 8 Grizzlies.
Carmelo Anthony has a new position – and a new look – as the Trail Blazers prepare for playoff push https://t.co/xxpZy3Rdk6
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) July 17, 2020