Why the Portland Trail Blazers Offensive Strategy Actually Makes Sense

The Portland Trail Blazers are currently sitting on a 9-3 record, marking their best since the 2022-23 season.

While the win column suggests a team finding its rhythm, a growing segment of the discourse—led by Danny Marang on 105.1 The Fan’s “The Firm of Harris and Marang”—suggests the team’s offensive architecture is fundamentally flawed. Marang argues that the Blazers’ current success is built on a shaky foundation of high-volume, low-percentage shooting from volatile areas of the court.

The core of the debate rests on the team’s shot selection. The Blazers are currently taking the second-most non-corner threes (35.6% of their total shots), and second-most total threes (46.6% of their total shots) of any team in the league. For critics, these numbers represent a “bubble ready to pop,” as the team appears to be ignoring the more efficient corner three in favor of more difficult, contested looks.

To understand why this strategy draws skepticism, one must look at the math of the floor. League-average corner three-point percentage is 3.5% to 4% greater than the accuracy of all non-corner three-point shots.

Does This Blazer Team Make Sense?? pic.twitter.com/kfHfJy8HF6

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During their title run, the Celtics employed the most caricatured offensive scheme of the three-point era, attempting more three-point shots than any other team in NBA history to that point.

They led the league with 43.7% of their total shots coming from the three point arc, with 77% of those three-point shots being non-corner threes. The Blazers’ shot profile—at 46.6% total frequency and 76% non-corner—is nearly identical to the 23-24 Boston Celtics with regards to shot frequency.

The viability of this approach hinges entirely on personnel. The philosophy works only if the shooters on the floor have the gravity and accuracy to justify the volume.

As noted by the Blazers’ recent performance, the team currently resides at 10th in the league for three-point percentage, at 37.2%. They are also second in the league in effective field goal percentage, which is a good indicator of the efficiency of a given shot diet.

Game Highlights: Portland Trail Blazers 120, Sacramento Kings 107 — Portland Trail Blazers

The determining factor for the Blazers’ long-term success, as alluded to by Marang’s cohost Patrick Harris, is if the Blazers make these three-point shots.

Patrick Harris, on “The Firm of Harris and Marang,” shared this sentiment, stating that no schematic advantage can replace pure execution. While this philosophy did not work for the 2025-2026 Blazers, as they were horrible at shooting threes, the current season shows the Blazers possess talent sufficient enough to justify this shot diet, courtesy of Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, and Toumani Camara.

The question remains whether this style of play is sustainable for a deep playoff run.

Ultimately, the Blazers “make sense.” By both the eye test and the stats, they have a plan that — if executed to a degree that the Blazers have demonstrated they are capable of — will win them games. The bar to execute well enough to make a deep playoff run is very high, maybe higher than the Blazers are capable of rising to. That said, they certainly “make sense.”