🏀NBA Preview: Portland Trail Blazers

We’re going to talk every team, one a day, until the season starts. We’ll start at the bottom and work up. Today, we’re gonna head to Portland and feature the Trail Blazers.

It was a bit of a shock early on last year to see the Portland Trail Blazers take the court and not see Damian Lillard, but Portland spent 2023 doing what everyone thought they would do: lose. It was a building year, yes, but the Blazers ended the year with the worst record in the Western Conference.

It’s not all bad, though, in Portland. The Blazers have an extremely talented young core. Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and rookie Donovan Clingan look to be the future in Portland. Veterans Anfernee Simons, Deandre Ayton, and Jerami Grant, who all missed significant time last year with injuries, are pivotal pieces that could help fill out the rest of the lineup.

A really underrated move from the Blazers came this offseason when they traded Malcolm Brogdon for Deni Avdija, who was the ninth pick in the 2020 draft and averaged 14 points and 7 rebounds while shooting 50% with the Wizards last season.

Look, I don’t think this team will make the playoffs, but I do think there is some good pieces on this team. 2024 will be another learning year for the Blazers with their young core playing significant minutes.

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