Oden’s frustration replaced by smiles

PORTLAND — One of the biggest differences Portland Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard has noticed in Greg Oden has nothing to do with points, rebounds or blocks.

In fact the recent change in the rookie center has little to do with basketball.

“He’s smiled every once in a while,” Pritchard said.

Perhaps that smiles-per-game stat was overlooked by many fans, but it has not gone unnoticed by the Blazers.

It’s the effect playing the first five healthy games of his career has had on Oden. And with each passing game, the 7-foot rookie center has looked increasingly confident, dominant, and relaxed.

After spending most of the last year explaining and battling back from two injuries, it has taken only a week for the health-related questions to start fading.

They have been replaced by talk of Oden’s three double-doubles in five games, a breakout night against Golden State, and the rim-rattling dunks that have become a nightly highlight.

“He sat out a year and listened to the critics,” Pritchard said, “and now he’s out there competing. And that’s all we care about.”

With the level of dominance Oden has already shown, why would the Blazers care about anything else?

Oden has been making a increasingly strong statement since returning last week from a foot injury he sustained in the season opener. And the last four games have been particularly impressive: He averaged 14.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and shot 60 percent (18 of 30) from the field.

That stretch included a 22-point, 10-rebound night against Golden State, in which Oden played 30 minutes for the first time since the preseason and showed signs of rapid development.

At the very least, the games made Oden feel like he was finding his rhythm.

“It feels good,” Oden said after Wednesday’s win over Chicago, in which he had 11 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. “Really, the big thing for me is just concentrating on rebounding, and everything else will fall. Defense and rebounding for me. Those are the things I can bring to this team. Everything else is extra.”

Oden is providing plenty of both, though. And his impact can be seen throughout the box scores.

Offensively, Portland instantly became a stronger low-post scoring team when Oden returned, averaging 40.0 points in the paint after getting a whopping 52 in Wednesday’s rout of Chicago.

Compare that to the 30.3 they averaged without Oden in the first seven games, when they posted a high of 36.

Oden has also significantly bolstered the Blazers’ low-post defense — an area of concern that McMillan raised several times during Oden’s absence.

Without Oden, Portland gave up nearly 15 layups or dunks every night. But since his return, the Blazers have held teams to 9.8 layups or dunks per game, saving them nearly 10 points scored at point-blank range each night.

That impact is reflected in opponents’ scoring averages, which have dipped from an average of 99.4 points a game without Oden, to 90.2 points with him.

But as impressive as Oden’s effect on the Blazers has been, Portland is still in no hurry to increase his load.

Blazers coach Nate McMillan said he plans to continue bringing Oden off the bench for the foreseeable future, and has no timetable for moving his star rookie into the starting lineup.

“Right now, I want to still be patient with him,” McMillan said. “He’s starting to get a rhythm and get confident out on the floor.”

And he is starting to look like a dominating No. 1 draft pick, as well.