The Portland Trail Blazers have had a difficult start to the season, given the fact that they’ve had a lot of roster turnover in the last couple of years. CJ McCollum is now a member of the New Orleans Pelicans after joining them in 2022, while Damian Lillard joined the Milwaukee Bucks via trade in October. There are a lot of new faces in Portland as well, the biggest name of them being Scoot Henderson who has been getting more and more minutes as the season progresses. They’ve also added some veterans such as Robert Williams III, Deandre Ayton and Malcolm Brogdon.
Overall, the season hasn’t gone well so far for the Blazers. At the time of writing, they’re 14th in the Western Conference ahead of only the San Antonio Spurs. They currently sit 29th in the league in points per game with 109.0 and dead last in assists per game with only 22.6. Rebounding numbers have been a bit better, but aren’t good either. They’re 25th in overall rebounding, but 18th in offensive rebounds.
Injuries Holding the Blazers Back
The Trail Blazers have been plagued with injuries to key players so far this season. Anfernee Simons has been limited to 14 games, Ayton has only played 24 while Henderson has only played 26. The biggest loss has undoubtedly been Williams who has only suited up for the Blazers six times so far. No player on the roster has been in the lineup for every game this season.
Impressive Players So Far
The aforementioned Simons has been the top scorer for Portland, as he currently sits with 25.5 points per game. Head coach Chauncey Billups has also called on Ayton, Jerami Grant and Shaedon Sharpe consistently as well as all three have averaged over 30 minutes per game when available. Henderson has also had a respectable season for a rookie and is starting to heat up as of late. Both he and Brogdon have done a great job creating opportunities for their teammates and as a result, they’ve been a couple of the top assist-getters as well.
In limited minutes, Ibou Badji has been a very entertaining player to watch. He has only played seven games so far, but in those games, he’s made an impact whenever he steps on the court and has had some monstrous blocks. His minutes are likely to get cut even more when the centers ahead of him are healthy and back in the lineup, but he seems to be a good role player when needed.
Ish Wainright has struggled in most of his appearances so far, but he looked to have his best game as a Trail Blazer against the Phoenix Suns last week before building on it in his next appearance against the Dallas Mavericks. He mainly played when the games were out of reach for the Blazers, but he was hitting shots and being a noticeable player on the court. It’ll be interesting to see if he’s able to continue that run of form whenever his number is called in the near future.
Team Performances So Far
The team as a whole has struggled, which makes sense given their 10-25 record so far. They’ve won the games they’d be expected to have won, namely against the mightily struggling Detroit Pistons, and even won their first In-Season Tournament game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Unfortunately, they would be their only win during the tournament as they lost to the Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers and Suns in their other games.
Overall, the Trail Blazers have performed about as well as some might expect for a rebuilding organization. As they look to build a roster that can win a Championship, there are going to be some bumps in the road. They were never able to do so with the previous core, and although Lillard and McCollum’s teams never reached that level both men will be remembered fondly in Portland when their careers come to an end. In the meantime though, the focus needs to be helping Henderson and the rest of the new core get in a position to win. It won’t happen overnight, but if done correctly it can happen within just a few short years,
The playoffs seem a long way away for the Portland Trail Blazers at this point, but as we’ve seen in the past a few years in the league’s basement can allow a team to build themselves up. Of course, there are some teams who seem to get stuck in that position and it’s Joe Cronin’s job to make sure doesn’t happen in Portland. For now, though, we get to see one of the most exciting rookies in basketball and we’ll continue to see a few more join the ranks throughout the next couple of seasons.
Northwest Sports Desk 