The Portland Trail Blazers Whose Stock Rose or Fell Most in Week 1 of the Season

Welcome to the Stock Watch feature at Blazer's Edge. Every Tuesday, we will be looking at the five players who helped or hurt the Trail Blazers in the previous week, letting you know what happened and which way they're trending.

Damian Lillard

Last Week: 11-of-41 shooting, 12-13 free throws, 15 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 turnovers

Stock Watch: DOWN

After Sunday's loss to the Golden State Warriors, some asked if this run of bad shooting by Lillard is the worst in his career. As it turns out, no it is not. In three games this week he hit just 26.8% of his shots. From the 26th to 30th of November in his rookie year (2012-2013 season), Lillard had a three game stretch where he shot just 12-of-47 for a 25.5% shooting percentage. So there is no need to panic just yet. His Rookie of the Year trophy that season shows just how much a three game sample actually matters.

That said, the Blazers need him to heat up sooner rather than later. He currently sits in 145th place among the 146 qualified shooters in the NBA in field goal percentage, with only Kentavious Caldwell-Pope standing between him and the bottom.

Nicolas Batum

Last Week: 10-of-29 shooting, 4-4 free throws, 19 rebounds, 15 assists, 8 turnovers

Stock Watch: DOWN

If any issue has killed the Blazers through the first week, it has been turnovers.  The best players in the league average around a 4-to-1 Assist-to-Turnover ratio.  Batum currently has a 1.88-to-1, which places him 61st in the league. As one of the two players charged with running the offense when the starters are on the floor, Batum's poor passing in the first week of the season was troubling. Several times versus Golden State and Sacramento he forced passes into tight spaces with little benefit even if the player catches it.  At least twice during Sunday's game versus the Warriors, Batum tried to force a pass into the block to LaMarcus Aldridge, even when there were two or more defenders in the path.

The other issue has been his shooting in the first half, which has been a new definition of bad. Batum is currently shooting 1-of-16 in the first half this year. He has exactly as many field goals in the first half as his backup, Dorell Wright, has. Mercifully, he has not taken enough shots to qualify for the field goal percentage race.

Chris Kaman

Last Week: 13-of-25 shooting, 0-0 free throws, 19 rebounds, 3 blocks, 4 turnovers in 64 minutes

Stock Watch: UP

If Kaman keeps playing the way he did in the first week, the Blazers might have gotten the steal of the free agency period. Kaman was efficient and effective on both ends of the floor in relief of both LaMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez. The Blazers defense was at its best when Kaman and Lopez shared the floor against Sacramento, and Kaman has been efficient around the rim both shooting and rebounding. What has been most surprising is his shooting touch away from the rim. He shot 3-of-4 from beyond eight feet against Oklahoma City, and 2-of-3 from beyond eight feet against Sacramento.

CJ McCollum

Last Week: 1-of-6 shooting, 0-0 free throws, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 turnovers in 29 minutes

Stock Watch: DOWN

Many were predicting McCollum would be a catalyst for the Blazers now that he is fully healthy. That has not quite happened. McCollum had three turnovers on a mixture of bad passes and bad dribbling decisions against Oklahoma City, has not been able to hit the open corner three (0-for-2 on his favorite shot thus far), and after missing an open three against Golden State he hasn't seen the floor since. Will Barton absorbed his minutes. He gave the Blazers a burst of energy and more scoring in one game then McCollum had in either of his first two. Going forward, McCollum needs to control the ball better.

Thomas Robinson

Last Week: 3-of-5 shooting, 0-2 free throws, 7 rebounds, 1 block, 2 turnovers in 16 minutes

Stock Watch: UP

Robinson really only got to play against Golden State with Joel Freeland on the inactive list and Meyers Leonard on the bench mostly for show. He made the most of his time, snaring the aggressive rebounds he is so well-known for, and doing some scoring as well. Between Robinson and Barton, the Blazers bench dragged them back into the game against the Warriors, bringing the crowd back into the game as well. A shocked Moda Center crowd exploded back to life with Robinson's one-handed alley-oop conversion from Wesley Matthews. His strong rebounding could help shore up an early weakness, stopping the opponent from gaining offensive rebounds. Sacramento had 14 offensive rebounds against the Blazers, Golden State had 7. Robinson's fierce style on the glass can help stem the leak.