Each week will take a look at the Portland Trail Blazers weekly schedule, including a look back at the preceding week and some quick analysis at how the team is playing.

In this debut we take a peek at the team’s best player, Brandon Roy, and why the team’s success hinges on how Roy plays each game.

Roy in a lot of ways is a coaches’ dream – a competitive, pass-first, team player with the ability to score from anywhere on the floor. But sometimes Roy’s humble nature hurts instead of helps his team.

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Roy is averaging 20 points and 5.3 assists a contest, both team highs. The Blazers are 1-2 overall, with losses to two good teams in Phoenix and the Los Angeles Lakers, and a win over the aging San Antonio Spurs at home.

In the team’s lone win, Roy finished with 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting, along with seven assists.

Against the Lakers, Roy was 5-of-15 with 14 points and five assists in 38 minutes. Afterwards, Portland players said they were making a concerted effort to get Greg Oden involved, and not playing as they would regularly play.

And in the team’s latest defeat against Phoenix, Roy finished 7-of-18 with 20 points and four assists.

It’s no secret that Roy is the engine that makes Portland go. Roy averaged 21.1 points and 6.8 assists in 40 wins for the Trail Blazers last season, but only 16.9 points and 4.8 assists in the team’s 34 losses a year ago.

Part of the reason for Portland’s struggles is teams are taking away Roy’s favorite play, the pick-and-roll, and forcing the Trail Blazers to run something else. Jason Quick of the Oregonian discusses that here.

Roy also has played against three of the better defenders in the league in Kobe (Lakers), Raja Bell (Phoenix) and Bruce Bowen (Spurs).

The Bottom line is teams know Roy is the guy that makes things go for Portland, and he must learn to adjust to the new defensive schemes by finding other teammates and figuring out other ways to score. Specifically, Roy should look to get to the basket more. He's only averaging four free throws a game.

Injury report: Rookie center Greg Oden, who injured his foot against the Lakers in the first game of the season, is expected out two to four weeks. Oden missed all of last season because of microfracture surgery, so there’s some concern about his durability. David Thorpe, who trains NBA players, talks about the Oden situation here. And listen to Oden talk about the injury here.

Also, Martell Webster, who just signed a four-year, $20 million extension last week, is expected to return from a foot injury in December.

Up next: Portland’s tough, early season schedule continues. After facing playoff teams in the Lakers, San Antonio and Phoenix to start the season, the Blazers are at Utah tonight 6 p.m. Comcast 179), and then face Houston at home on Thursday (TNT, 7:30 p.m.) and Minnesota on Saturday (7 p.m., no TV).