Portland Trail Blazers 2026-2027 Season Preview

 

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.  

Atlanta Hawks 2026-2027 Season Preview

The 2025-2026 Atlanta Hawks were a success.   They had their most wins (46) since 2015-2016 and won the Southeast division.  Jalen Johnson had his best season yet averaging 22/10/7 and new Hawk Nickeil Alexander-Walker was the real deal averaging 20 points per game while shooting 39% from 3.  CJ McCollum was the big pickup in the Trae Young deal and fits in great.  Jonathan Kuminga and Dyson Daniels rounded out a solid rotation.

In the offseason they brought in Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins, both formerly of OKC.  They are really good depth adds and Dort is an excellent defender.  Their biggest question going into this season is the interior defense and center.   Onyeka Okongwu is fine at center but not the rim defender you want.

Not sure what this season brings, but the expectations are higher.  What to do with Trae Young is no longer hanging over the team.  50 wins should be obtainable.  The East has really good teams at the top but the Jaylen Brown trade leaves some unknowns.  I'm looking forward to this season and what they can do on the court.  More excellence from Johnson and the team taking the next step is what Hawks fans are wanting and expecting.

2026 Atlanta Falcons Preview

There were some positives for the 2025 Atlanta Falcons but the fact that they came out of the season without a true #1 quarterback was huge.  Michael Penix was hurt and went 3-6 in the nine games he started.  Kirk Cousins wasn't the answer.  They could rush the ball and were able to get interceptions.  Outside of those two areas, they struggled and went 8-9 in a weak division.  

They brought in Tua Tagovaila but he doesn't inspire confidence moving forward.  There are some weapons on offense in Bijan Robinson and Drake London but without a stable and good quarterback they'll go to waste.  Kyle Pitts had an excellent year and received a big contract.  Atlanta was in a tough spot.  He hadn't performed before 2025.  It was either give him the extension or let him go.  

I do think there is talent on the roster.  Unfortunately, it hasn't equated to wins.  Unless Tua or Penix step up, I don't think they get back to 8 wins.  The schedule is tough as they'll have to face the AFC North.  Receiver Johan Dotsan was maybe their flashiest move in free agency and doesn't move the needle.  Unless the team makes major advances at QB and on defense, it could be a miserable season. 

2026 Buffalo Bills Preview

 The 2025 Buffalo Bills were good.  Like really good.  The offense was 4th in points scored though the defense was 12th in points given up.  They could stop the pass but not the run.  And again, couldn't get over the playoff hump losing to the Broncos 33-30 in the Divisional round.   This led them to fire coach Sean McDermott who went 98 and 50 with the Bills.  They made it to two Conference Finals during his tenure.  Ownership gets the need to succeed during the now 30-year-old quarterback's time with the Team.

Offensive coordinator Joe Brady is the new coach.  I think this is risky.  The offense is so good.  DJ Moore was the big acquisition on offense.  I'm pretty "meh" about picking him up.  The team needed a top receiver, but I see him more as a #2 guy.  They added help along the defensive line and in the secondary but not many more impact moves.  Buffalo is also changing defensive schemes.

To me this all just means a lot of unknowns.  It feels like they'll be relying on Josh Allen again whatever success they have.  The AFC has seen Denver and New England ascend and you have to think Baltimore and Cincy are better this season.  Just a lot of unknowns.  It could work out for the better, and I'm assuming they get to 12 wins again.  Maybe with some luck they win more.  I know it's easy for me to sound doom and gloom but there is hope the new coaching staff get Buffalo over the hump.  As long as Josh Allen is healthy, they will be good.  They just need to make the right tweaks and be better enough to get to the Super Bowl or the team and fans will once again be disappointed.

And Buffalo is moving into a new stadium this year.

Atlanta Hawks 2025-2026 Season Preview

The 24-25 Atlanta Hawks surprised me some by winning 40 games.  They managed to get the #8 seed but then lost two play-in games to miss the playoffs.  Trae Young led the league in assists per game, but his scoring and shooting were down.  Jalen Johnson was having a really good season but lost most of it to injury. De-Andre Hunter was traded to Cleveland for Chris LeVert.  Bogdan Bogdanovic was also traded.  Onyeka Okongwu played well after becoming the starting center and Dyson Daniels almost won Defensive Player of the Year.  

Atlanta liked what they saw and made big moves in the offseason.  Kristaps Porzingis was probably the biggest add as Boston shed salary.  Nickeil Gilgeous-Alexander is another good wing defender to pair with Daniels.  They brought in Luke Kennard to help with perimeter shooting.  They get back Jalen Johnson.  I think they have a solid starting unit and if Zaccharie Risacher can make strides, who knows.  The East isn't as stacked as it was. I expect they'll be no worse than the #8 seed but I expect them to be a better team.  They solid defenders and defense will win them games.  Trae Young must play something resembling defense though and must also do a good job getting all the new pieces and parts involved in the offense.  I'm not saying they make a run to the Finals but if they get hot at the right time, I think they could win at least one series in the playoffs.

Portland Trail Blazers 2025-2026 Season Preview

The Portland Trail Blazers surprised by winning 15 more games in 24-25 than they did the previous season.  I wish I could explain how.  They did have solid guard play, DeAndre Ayton was a solid center, but overall this team wouldn't wow you by looking at it.  Toumani Camara did make his mark with a great second half and an All-Defensive team nod.  Scoot Henderson saw modest gains while Jerami Grant struggled.

Portland still decided to go in a different direction this season after the gains made last year.  They bought out Ayton.  Good move.  They traded Anfernee Simons for Jrue Holiday.  Trade your better shooting guard for an expensive older player (he'll be 35 this season and making $100M+ over the next three seasons)?  They bring back Damian Lillard for $31M over the next three seasons though he will be out all of 25-26.  They drafted another center though Donovan Clingan had a solid rookie season.  I'm not sure how much, if any improvement, the team can expect this season.  Sharpe has to shoot better while Portland decides if he's in their long-term plans.  Seems like they like him, but we'll see.  Can they find takers for Grant or center Robert Williams?  Can Scoot step up and be the player they envisioned when the was taken with the #3 pick?  I can see the team taking a step back.  That's rough considering they won only 31 games but I'm not sure any of the moves made them better.  We'll see.  I think this year they try to figure out what they have overall while fans are left wanting for a team that can win consistently.

 

2025 Buffalo Bills Season Preview

The Buffalo Bills were 13-4 last season and won the AFC East.  But again, they didn't meet expectations.  The offense did really well while the defense struggled at times.  Things looked ripe for them to buck their playoff failures against KC but again lost again to the Chiefs in a heart breaking 32-29 loss in the Conference Championship.

While the team's ground game came to play last season with James Cook leading the league in rushing touchdowns, the receiving corps is struggling to find a true #1.  It's really something that has needed to be addressed since Stefon Diggs left the team.  Plenty of good receivers but I wouldn't say it's a group I have a ton of confidence in.  The defense just wasn't great, especially in pass defense, and it seemed like any close game late in a game was a nail biter.  And you really didn't want to see a great QB like Mahomes across the ball from the defense.  

Buffalo had minimal cap room to maneuver with so I'm not sure what kind of upgrades to expect this year.  I see 12 wins this year as a smart bet.  Josh Allen has been pretty consistent in his abilities, and the addition of a stable run game last year kept him in the pocket more which bodes well for his health.  I do think this team can get to a Super Bowl, but they have to learn to beat Kansas City in the playoffs while also assuming they may have to play teams like Baltimore or Cincy to get there.  Hope isn't a good plan but as good as this team has been for past six seasons I'm not sure what else fans can do.

2025 Atlanta Falcons Preview

The Atlanta Falcons came off a year filled with turmoil after taking Michael Pennix in the first round of the draft and alienating starter Kirk Cousins, whom they had just signed to a big contract.  Cousins went on to a horrible season and was benched.  Somehow Atlanta won 8 games and was very close to winning a very bad division.  But they were not good.  Let's make no mistake.

Their defense, in particular their rushers, were bad and they hopefully addressed that through their offseason free agent pickups and the draft.  Atlanta gave up a lot to draft James Pearce in the second round so a lot is riding on the moves.  It's a lot to ask for but they gave up the 23rd most points per game in the league (31st in touchdowns given up).  I do think they can make a leap forward but I'm not sure how much.

The offense now belongs to Michael Pennix.  We only saw him in three games as a starter and so far I haven't seen anything that makes me think he's the guy to take us to the next level.  I hope I'm wrong.  They still have a great running game, but the receiving corps isn't excellent.  I like Drake London but I'm not sure the rest of the receiving corps is consistent enough to help out the young QB.  The team has made the offensive line a priority which is always a good thing.

Atlanta has to beat bad teams which is something they didn't do consistently last season.  Maybe Pennix can get them to the next level.  That said I don't see them making the playoffs.  Too many teams better than them and I expect the Bucs don't falter this season like they did in 2024.  Looking at the schedule I see 7 wins.  That could really fluctuate based on the play at QB.  It all begins and ends at QB.  If that isn't figured out, they'll struggle.

Portland Trail Blazers 2024-2025 Season Preview

 The Portland Trail Blazers have room for improvement.  Sure, it helps when you only won 21 games the season before, but this team has talent albeit on an unbalanced roster.  I was willing to give Deandre Ayton a chance last year but he's definitely not the answer.  Jerami Grant is good but he signed a big contract when they were going all in with Dame and that didn't work out.  Still not sure who Anfernee Simons is.  Shaedon Sharpe is still young and figuring out who he is too.  Donovan Clingan was the #7 pick in this year's draft but it's too early to know what he brings to the table.  Scoot Henderson is the guy after being picked #3 last year.  He struggled last year but showed some improvement in the second half of the season.  Coach Chauncey Billups has his work cut out for him.  Too many guards and too many centers does not make for a good rotation.  The front office needs to do something to help.  An Ayton trade would be great and Anfernee Simons might be the odd man out in the backcourt, if not now, later.  I do think they win more than 21 games.  Health kept them from playing consistent lineups last season.  If they're healhty this year, it will go a long way determining the team's identity.  A little optimism but I think Scoot really needs to show he's going be the guy.  Doesn't have to be a star this year but he needs to show he can be the point guard of the future for this team commensurate with being a #3 pick.

Scoot

Atlanta Hawks Season Preview

The Atlanta Hawks are not in a great place.  There are little ways for them to better themselves.  They tried switching things up in the off season, moving on from Dejounte Murray in a trade with the Pelicans but the return of Larry Nance Jr, Dyson Daniels, E.J. Liddell, and Cody Zeller aren't game changers nor are the two low 1st round draft picks they also received.  The Hawks traded three of their own 1st for Murray just a few years ago.  Those of course are more valuable.  The Hawks also tried to trade star Trae Young but there were no takers.  I think many don't see Young as a player who takes their team to the next level and the $136M left on his contract as too much to swallow for the player they see him as.  The Hawks have very limited options.  They did get the #1 pick in the 2024 draft but as is their luck, Zaccharie Risacher, isn't seen as a franchise type guy either.  I said it last year.  Unless many of their role players take a major leap in play this team is probably looking at 36 wins again.  Maybe. While Murray didn't work with Young, will De'Andre Hunter or Jalen Johnson take a huge leap to become a great second option for this team.  I just don't see it.  Somebody will get the points Murray left behind, but I don't think they can make up for his quality play.  And bless Trae Young, that man is really good and can fill up a stat sheet.  But he hasn't shown he's a "The Franchise".  Lots of negativity I know but I don't see improvement this season.  Here's hoping I'm wrong.

Portland Trail Blazers Season Preview

For Portland this offseason was all about trading Dame.  It set them up for moving forward with Scoot Henderson as the face of the franchise.  In doing so they added Malcom Brogden, Robert Williams and DeAndre Ayton.  I'm not a fan of Ayton but maybe he can finally find another gear.  They also have draft picks that may come in handy down the line.  They have young talent in Anfernee Simons, Shadeon Sharpe, and Jerami Grant.  And Brogden was is the reigning 6th Man of the Year.  It feels like the team is guard heavy.  It'll be interesting to see what Chauncey Billups can do with the lineup.  The team has to be better.  They basically tanked last season.  Do they get to 40 wins.  I don't know.  The West is so tough so that may be too much to ask for right now.  What we all want to see is Scoot succeed.  He doesn't have to be a top ten player in the league this season.  But he needs to show signs he can lead this team moving forward.  I would be happy with 40 wins but would be happier if everyone stays healthy and we see signs this team looks like it'll be a playoff team and contender in years to come.

Atlanta Hawks Season Preview

The Hawks offseason really came down to moving off John Collins and extending Dejounte Murray.  Getting off John Collins was huge.  Atlanta gave him a five-year $125M deal and instantly regretted it.  What they were thinking I'll never know.  They've tried trading him for two years and finally were able to offload him to Utah.  While the return isn't anything to write home about it gives them more cap flexibility.  Extending Murray was also key.  He's needed to bring balance to the team and defense that Trae Young doens't know how to play.  The Hawks are solid at center with Capella and Okongwu.  De'Andre Hunter may be becoming the scorer they need him to be but it's still early to tell how consistent he'll be or if he can take it to another level.  After that I just don't know.  Bogdanovich can shoot and provide some scoring off the bench but after that there's a lot of unknowns.  Maybe Saddiq Bey or AJ Griffin take big steps but I don't see a path to major improvement without multiple players getting much better.  I don't think Murray and Young can carry this team.  I do think Quin Snyder was a big add as coach.  Can he make the difference this season? Maybe they get in as a #8 see but that feels like the best we can look forward to.  Hopefully I'm wrong.    

2022-2023 Portland Trail Blazers Quick Look

 Last season did not go as planned for the Trail Blazers.  Lillard only played 29 games due to injury, the GM was fired during the season, CJ McCollum was traded and the team only won 27 games, their worst in over 20 years.  Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, and Jusuf Nurkic signed new deals in the offseason.  The Lillard extension was huge as there were lots of rumors of him possibly leaving.  Simons is expected to fill McCollum's shoes.  In the draft the Blazer chose Shaedon Sharpe and Jabari Walker.  Jerami Grant and Gary Payton II joined the team as free agents.

This team will win more than 27 games this year.  How much they contend will depend on Lillard being the Lillard of old and how the new pieces in the lineup work.  I really don't know what that looks like.  Fans have had hope for Simons for years.  He did well last year with both Lillard and McCollum not playing.  What does his game look like with Dame playing?  I really like the Grant and Payton editions.  Grant can score playing SF or PF.  Payton is a great defender.  

Coach Chancey Billups has his work cut out for him.  Lots of change means figuring out how this team works together.  The starting five should be fun to watch if they all live up to expectations.  I worry about depth but most teams do.  These big contracts the starters and elite players demand make it tough.  Still the Trail Blazers are trying.  They went different.  It looks like they could be better than the Terry Stotts era teams long term but this first season could go one of many ways.  Should be fun and nerve wracking for us Portland fans.

2022-2023 Atlanta Hawks Quick Look

The 2021-2022 Atlanta Hawks, coming off an Eastern Conference Championship appearance, went 43-39 and were booted in the first round of the playoffs by Miami four games to one.  The Hawks basically ran back the same team hoping for the same results and it didn't work.  The team looked lost for much of the season.  The signed John Collins to a huge contract but it didn't fill up the stat sheet or equate to wins.  He's really athletic but that only gets you so far.  Lots of guys who could get you 10-17 points a night but no clear number two star on this team and Trae Young couldn't carry them.

In the offseason they made a pitch for KD but ended up getting rising star Dejounte Murray from the Spurs.  He's a great defender who put up amazing numbers last season (21ppg, 8rbg, 9apg).  Trae Young doesn't do defense so this is a big addition.  The other big move was moving Kevin Huerter to the Kings for Justin Holiday and Maurice Harkless.  This move saves them money in the long run but did not make the team better.  And it really confused me.  I love the addition of Murray but losing Huerter makes the offseason very uneven.

Coach Nate McMillan now has to get two ball centric guards to share.  He also needs to get more from John Collins while making the role players better too.  Does De'Andre Hunter have another gear?  This team has to get better defensively and be more well-rounded on the offensive end.  Sure Murray will help but as a team they have to be really efficient and have others who can give them big points when needed.  I think Atlanta is better but the East has some really good teams at the top.  If they are the number seven seed they'll be doing good and a number six seed will be a really good year.  I'm not convinced they are there yet looking at the other teams in the conference but I can have hope.

   

2022 Atlanta Falcons Preview

 Atlanta Falcons:  The Atlanta Falcons struggled last year and that was with Matt Ryan.  Now they have Marcus Mariotta under center with third-round draft pick Desmond

Ridder waiting in the wings.  Neither make you think this will be a high

flying offense even with stud tight end Kyle Pitts.  Cordarrelle Patteson

had a great season as a hybrid RB/WR.  He provided some spark to the offense

and rushing capability to a team that didn't seem to have a good RB option

to start the season.  Losing Calvin Ridley for the year is a huge loss

(suspension).  The o-line might be better so that is always helpful.  Some

good weapons on offense but I don't know if it makes any really strides.

That will boil down to Marriota who is capable but no one thinks he is the

long term solution.

The defensive line could be better with some top draft picks being used on

that side of the ball.  The linebacker corps has been revamped.  The

defensive backs are anchored by excellent corner A.J. Terrell and newly

signed Casey Hayward Jr.  This gives Atlanta the best corners they had in

years and they have some depth to lean on.  So the defense could be better and that 

is a good thing as they were horrible on defense last year.   

Some folks are high on the young talent Atlanta has but I doubt that

translates to much this year though they could be more competitive in games.

That's what this year will be is seeing what some of those young guys bring

to the team.  Will they give them hope for the future?  While Atlanta fans

can't expect much in the win column this is all about the future.

2022 Buffalo Bills Preview

The Buffalo Bills come into the season with lots of expectations.  They now contend

at the highest levels in the AFC and with a few breaks could have been

really close to a Super Bowl appearance or two.  That goes to one of my main

concerns.  The lack of big plays when needed especially in the

playoffs.  I'll always harp on needing a run game to take pressure off Josh

Allen as well as keeping him from having to run so much.  Overall the

offense will look exactly as it did last year.  A few minor changes at WR

and on the o-line.  I expect the offense to again be one of the best in the

league and should be able to compete with any offense out there. 

The defense is one of the best in the league but last season it will be

remembered for their epic collapse in the final second of their playoff game

against KC.  The defensive line has been revamped with many players leaving

and other filling in.  It'll be interesting to see how that plays out.  They made a

big splash signing Von Miller but that was a head scratcher for me.  I don't

know if he has enough in the tank to be a difference maker.  They do have a

great defensive back group which comes back healthy.  That'll include Tre'Davious

White who was injured most of last season. 

Last year they were 11-6 including a maddening loss to Pittsburgh to open the season and a lost to Jacksonville in which they only scored nine points.  There was also the crazy wind game loss against New England.  Some will say see those could have been three wins.  I say "why did they lose them?".  Their offense can be erratic at times and it disappeared in the playoffs scoring a total of 19 points against the Patriots and Chiefs.  Yes, New England had a really good defense and the Chiefs were top 10 in points allowed but this offense has to be better against good defenses and score in big moments.

I'm hoping Buffalo can use their experience in the playoffs (4 of last 5

seasons) and build on those losses.  Maybe get their game to the next level.

I know expectations are high.  I have some hope they can come through this

year but as a fan it's pretty guarded optimism.  Still there's no reason not

to be happy with this team.  Excellent quarterback and defenses aren't easy

to come by and they make games much more fun to watch. Really tough schedule this year but I can still see them winning 11 games though there will be plenty of tough games.

 

2021 Atlanta Falcons Preview

 

The Falcons were just bad last year.  And the defense was horrible.  Just horrible.  The offense was average but had no running game leaving everything to Matt Ryan.  He can only do so much and the offense struggled to score when it needed to.  Outside of taking TE Kyle Pitts with the #4 pick in the draft Atlanta did go defense heavy the rest of the draft.  It's hard to see there being major improvement this year but they can't be as bad as last year.  I hope.  Ryan is 36 this year so you have to wonder how much longer we have of him.  I get he's not an elite quarterback but it's not like there are better options readily available.  I see them getting to six wins this year but anything past that would mean big improvements over last year.  It can happen but we'll see.  Right now I just hope for improvements.  The Falcons have to give us hope.  Go Falcons!

2021 Buffalo Bills Preview

The 2020 Buffalo Bills had a great season making it to the AFC Championship Game before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs.  Josh Allen came in to his own and was rewarded with a big contract extension.  The defense was average but with the offense as good as it was they made up for some of those deficiencies.  Hopefully the defense can improve and Josh Allen can continue to make strides.  They went defense in rounds one and two of the draft while going offensive line with their next two picks.  I like the thinking.  

Many teams seem to make one year strides.  Sustaining it is always harder.  I like Allen though and expect this season to be another good one even if they don't reach last year's mark of 13 wins.  Kansas City and Tennessee in weeks 5 and 6 will be really good tests of where they are at.  Not saying anyone before that, including week one opponent Pittsburgh, are pushovers but by that point in the season those games should show us a lot.  I like how Buffalo's schedule plays out.  They definitely have a shot at 13 wins but will need have the consistency we saw last year late in the regular season.  I'm excited to see this team in 2021.  Go Bills!

 

2020-2021 Atlanta Hawks Quick Look

New unis aren't the only thing Atlanta Hawks fans have to look forward to this season.  They won the offseason with the additions of Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danilo Gallinari, and Rajon Rondo.  Once healthy they'll also have Clint Capela to add to the mix when he is healthy.  He was pcked up in a really good trade last year.  On paper this is an excellent roster but you don't win trophies for best offseasons.  There are still plenty of questions like where some players will play, having enough minutes and basketballs to go around, and what does all this do to the younger players this team had been developing.  That's about as negative as it gets.  I'm excited to see what this team can do.  Trae Young is a superstar talent and he finally has talent around him.  This is still a young team so if they figure it out they could compete for a few seasons to come and in the Eastern conference there's no reason to think they won't.  Hopefully I'll get the chance to see this team play this year.  I have to admit I'm a little giddy.

 

 

2020-2021 Portland Trail Blazers Quick Look

 I'm a little late on this but didn't the season sneak up on all of us.  Portland did well in the bubble last year after getting Jusif Nurkic and Zach Collins back but were still the #8 seed.  They were greatly overmatched against the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs and were out after their first round loss.  This year they add Robert Covington and Derrick Jones Jr. and get back Rodney Hood while Zach Collins should be healthy at some point.  While I'd love to think they'll make great strides this year with a healthy team I think they are  probably a #6 seed waiting to happen.  To get in the top four of the western conference it will take a huge change on the defensive end.  These guys can score but defensively they struggle.  Hopefully Convington and Jones Jr. can help them on the perimeter but it'll take more than two guys to turn this around.  I'm looking forward to seeing what the rest of the season brings.  Portland is fun to watch and you have to expect Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum to be studs again.  Nurkic is so good too.  If this team doesn't make strides I'll be curious to see if management makes some type of change.  Go Blazers!