Who Will Be Trail Blazers' Team MVP This Season?

Matt Levine | Aug 30, 2024

The Portland Trail Blazers will enter the new regular season looking to be more competitive than they were last year. Portland finished the year with a record of 21-61 and were slotted at the bottom of the Western Conference standings.

The Trail Blazers approached the offseason simply seeking to upgrade marginally as the team wants to allow their young players to develop. Portland has a collection of young talent on the roster and the front office believes that they have some pieces that they can build around moving forward.

The key for this upcoming season will be the growth and assessment of each player. There are a few guys on the roster that could be part of the core going forward including guard Shaedon Sharpe, point guard Scoot Henderson, and center Donovan Clingan.

Each will be given a chance to prove themselves this season but Portland does have a few other talented players as well. But even with the Trail Blazers likely being at the bottom of the conference once again, who will emerge as the best player for the team?

The easy answer is likely Sharpe as he is expected to take a big step forward. But for the sake of argument, there is another who could leap forward.

That would be forward Deni Avdija, who the Trail Blazers traded for this offseason. He has spent his entire career with the Washington Wizards before being traded this summer and has shown good progression over time.

Last season, he averaged 14.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. Avdija also shot 37.4 percent from behind the 3-point line, a career-high for himself.

He has shown a willingness to do what it takes on the offensive end of the floor while giving his effort on defense. If he is given a larger role in the offensive scheme this season, Avdija could see his numbers jump up a little more.

The former No. 9 overall pick may not become the best player on the Trail Blazers but he could end up being the MVP of the team. He does the little things when on the court, something that all teams need.

If Avdija can consistently hit his 3-point shots, the sky is the limit for him this season. Portland will be looking for people to score the basketball, especially if they do end up trading away veterans like Jerami Grant or Anfernee Simons.

This season is all about preparing for the future and Avdija could be a main piece to the puzzle if he performs well.

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