Blazers' Future Looks Bleak Despite Influx of Young Talent

Matt Levine | Aug 26, 2024

The Portland Trail Blazers entered a much-needed rebuild after trading away star point guard Damian Lillard last season. After spending a lot of time in the middle of the pack in the NBA, Portland finally decided to start things over.

With a strong young core of players, Portland isn't starting completely from the bottom of the barrel. Guys like Scoot Henderson, Donovan Clingan, and Shaedon Sharpe give this team some hope for the future.

However, that future may take a while to come together. For now, Portland seems destined to be at the bottom of the Western Conference until the young core develops enough to help them seriously contend.

Dan Favale of Bleacher Report put together a power ranking of every NBA team's next three seasons and the Trail Blazers came in toward the bottom. With a young team that likely won't contend soon, Portland may have a few more down years ahead of themselves.

"Ambitious development from Scoot Henderson, Donovan Clingan and Shaedon Sharpe—plus whoever Portland gets while continuing to appear in the lottery—can put this nucleus on the map. But it'll be harder to effectively groom youngsters amid so many established bodies on the roster."

The Trail Blazers do have a few veteran players that they will need to make decisions on. Deandre Ayton, Anfernee Simons, and Jerami Grant are all players that Portland could end up trading to allow more playing time to their young core.

If Portland does want to take that next step forward, moving some of these veterans will be paramount. The assets that the team gets from any deals will also help speed up the rebuild as well.

The Trail Blazers have to invest in the future of the franchise and go all-in on the young talent.

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The Western Conference is as strong as it possibly has ever been so it will be a challenge for Portland. But if they go through the rebuild with patience, the team could come out the other end with a strong team that is set up for sustained success.

It may take some time but Portland is looking to build for the future. They have drafted decently in the past and now are banking on their development to push them over the edge.

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