Today we take a look at the Blazers, a team entrenched in a rebuild hoping for a little bit of development and lottery luck
The third overall pick in the NBA Draft is a historically very interesting one. That pick has yielded superstars like Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid in recent years. It has yielded players like Jahlil Okafor, Otto Porter Jr, OJ Mayo, and Adam Morrison. Last season, the Portland Trail Blazers drafted Scoot Henderson from the NBA G League Ignite with the third overall pick, hoping that he would be a part of the first group as opposed to the second. After one season, it is fair for Blazers fans to be concerned about what Henderson will be as a pro.
In his rookie season, Henderson averaged 14 points per game while shooting 38.5% from the field (40th among rookies), 32.5% from three (25th among rookies), and -1.7 win shares (the worst among all rookies). By no means is this an indication that Henderson will be a bust, but it is evident that he is multiple steps behind in trajectory from the first two picks from his draft class: Victor Wembanyama and Brandon Miller. The team’s record reflected these struggles as the Blazers went 21-61, tied with Charlotte for the third worst record in the NBA.
The rebuilding process is well underway for Portland, as they have moved on from the Damian Lillard era and are looking to revitalize and build for the future. The team acquired DeAndre Ayton last off-season and still have Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant on the roster. As part of the Jrue Holiday deal that re-routed the guard from Milwaukee to Boston, the team also acquired center Robert Williams III. It is therefore somewhat puzzling that the team used the 7th overall pick to draft yet another center in Donovan Clingan out of UConn. The Blazers now have a crowded frontcourt, and it stands to reason that one of their big men could be moved before the start of the season.
Williams has had trouble remaining healthy and seems like the most likely to be moved. Ayton is still only 25 years old and produced respectable numbers last year as a Blazer, averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds per game. The Blazers also still have Shaedon Sharpe who seemed to take a bit of a leap in his second season, and cemented himself as a cornerstone piece for that Blazers. Jerami Grant might figure to be the odd man out for this team, as they are so focused on development. Grant will be 30 years old this season, and will likely want to play for a contender again after stints in Portland and Detroit.
Seemingly in anticipation of this, the Blazers traded away Malcolm Brogdon to Washington to acquire Deni Avdija. The fifth year pro was relatively underwhelming in Washington but made some strides last season, and even got Most Improved Player consideration. The core of this team moving forward should be considered Henderson, Simons, Ayton, Avdija, and Clingan. This team is going to lose a lot of games this coming year, and I would venture for quite a few years to come.
The real question in situations like this is if the Head Coach and General Manager will be along for the ride. It certainly seems that for the moment the Trail Blazers are comfortable building slowly and developing the players they drafted. A lot of this hinges on Scoot Henderson’s development. Ideally, you want to see him take some additional steps in his offensive efficiency and playmaking instincts. It is very likely that the growing pains of this will mean that the Blazers are the worst team in the NBA this season. But there may be a silver lining: they have a golden ticket in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes, which may make it all worth it.
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