One minute you’re riding high with Dame D.O.L.L.A., and the next minute you’re one of the worst teams in the Association. Life comes at ya fast.
The Damian Lillard era in Portland ended with a resounding thud over the summer when the disgruntled superstar was granted his trade request and dealt to Milwaukee in a blockbuster deal that sent Jrue Holiday and Deandre Ayton to the Pacific Northwest. Holiday was subsequently shipped to Boston, and the Blazers nabbed Robert Williams III and Malcolm Brogdon. To say that the roster changed last offseason would be a major understatement.
Portland finished with the worst record in the West, but the failure wasn’t a direct result of Lillard’s absence. The Blazers finished with a losing record in two straight seasons and three of four before Lillard left for Milwaukee. The path forward is the development of young talent.
As we’ll do with most of the cellar-dwellers this season, we’ll ask, “What’s next?” Portland is the fourth-youngest team in the Association with an average age of just 24.7 years old. In the 2023-24 season, the team gave at least 21 minutes per game to four of its last five draft picks from the last two seasons, and Portland’s young core could continue to grow following the 2024 draft in which the Blazers own two lottery picks.
Do Jerami Grant and Malcolm Brogdon fit Portland’s timeline, or will the two be on the move? What should fantasy managers expect from youngsters Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson? Can Anfernee Simons continue to improve? Will anyone on this team be able to stay on the court consistently in 2024-25? We’ll attempt to answer all of those questions and more.
