The Trail Blazers were not the best defensive team last season, but Damian Lillard and company have their sights set on improving that side of the ball. It was Lillard who noticed a difference in the team from the very first practice: They helped too much and showed stress about getting stops.
From The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman:
"That let me know that ... we were in our right minds," Lillard said. "We came back really focused and locked in on (defense). Everybody was just on it. And it hasn't stopped.