The Portland Trail Blazers also had a good season surprisingly winning 42 game and had a playoff play-in win over Phoenix. They lost in the first round to San Antonio 4-1, but it still exceeded the expectation going into the season. Already expecting Damian Lillard back from injury, they swung big in the offseason trading for Ja Morant.
I'm not a fan of his addition. The backcourt already had Lillard, Shaedon Sharpe and Scott Henderson. Sharpe is out 6 months with injury but Lillard and Morant next to each other doesn't feel like a win. Neither is defensively gifted and both are small. And the team still doesn't know who Scoot Henderson is even though he had a good playoff series. Deni Avdija took a huge leap last season earning an All-Star nod and giving them a solid scoring threat in the front court. Donovan Clingan continues to improve which is needed as surprise first round pick Yang Hansen had a horrible first season. Jrue Holiday and Toumani Camara were also solid.
Where this leaves the team for the upcoming season is something I haven't figured out yet. There's plenty of optimism about a Ja Morant reboot in Portland, but I have such a hard time seeing it work. What I need to see is how the offense works together and whether or not they can play consistent defense. And does Scoot Henderson's game advance any with most of the guard minutes taken up? It's a lot to ask for from this team. And they also have a first-time head coach in Micah Nori. Still, I like a lot of the individual part and I'm really curious as to how it looks when they actually get on the court. Good news is I think they can compete with the lower tier of teams in the Western Conference. I still think 40 games is doable even if it is a step back.
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