The Portland Trail Blazers perimeter defense had never been a strength, but it has taken a huge drop this season. We will dig into this problem further.

The Portland Trail Blazers are currently allowing opponents to shoot 37.9% from three. That is the worst mark in the entire NBA.

In a league now built around three-point shooting, it is very difficult for the Blazers to win basketball games with the defense playing so poorly.

Sure, Portland’s defense was not elite last year, but it was respectable. The team ranked 16th in opponent three-point percentage last season. So, what has caused this sudden drop?

Well, the roster is lacking perimeter defenders, especially in the backcourt. Nevertheless, the roster is similar to last season’s. Al-Farouq Aminu and Maurice Harkless are still on the roster and the Blazers did not lose anyone with significant perimeter defensive talent.

Do not get me wrong, some of the blame falls on Neil Olshey and the front office. We at Rip City Project written about many possible trades Olshey could have made to fix this problem, but the front office has been too dormant and does not seem to acknowledge the flaw.

Adding Seth Curry and Nik Stauskas in the offseason were solid moves. They are both good offensive players, but it is a confusing fit. The Blazers did not need more offense in the backcourt; they needed a capable defender.

The LA Clippers signed Luc Mbah a Moute for a little over $2 million last summer. It is puzzling that Olshey did not make a push for him.

However, Terry Stotts deserves some of the blame. Stotts is beloved by his players, but a team’s play does not drop that much unless coaching is the part of the problem. He has not maximized the personnel that he does have. Sure, the roster is limited, but we should be better defensively than the Knicks and Cavaliers.

The team lacks energy at times, and several of their problems would not be so significant with better coaching. For example, players are often outrebounded despite having the upper hand or CJ McCollum is too eager to get back on offense to cut down the deficit.

Those kinds of plays boil down to energy and discipline. In many ways, the Blazers miss Ed Davis just from a personality standpoint.

No matter who is to blame, a change has to happen soon. You cannot expect to be competitive in today’s league while struggling to guard the three-point line.