Contenders and Pretenders: Making sense of the NBA’s crowded field

Portland Trail Blazers

While the Portland Trail Blazers advanced to the Western Conference Finals this past season, their postseason track record in the Damian Lillard–CJ McCollum era remains concerning. Portland was completely overmatched against Golden State in the Conference Finals and has been long overdue for a rebuild according to some people.

While this past postseason was a step in the right direction, it is fair to question whether or not this backcourt of Lillard and McCollum has reached its ceiling. After re-signing both players this week, the Blazers are now locked into this core.

If they hope to contend for a championship, these two must be surrounded by high-end wings rather than Mario Hezonja and Rodney Hood, neither of whom should be a key piece on a contending team.

Jusuf Nurkic is certainly a talented center and potential franchise player, but after breaking his leg last season he will miss most if not all of the upcoming season. Newly acquired center Hassan Whiteside cannot possibly fill the defensive void that Nurkic leaves behind.

Portland will likely regress next season mostly due to the loss of bench pieces like Seth Curry and Meyers Leonard and starting forwards Maurice Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu.

If the Blazers had made any major additions, to offset these losses, they would likely be in shape to contend in the Western Conference. However, expected regression places them firmly in the “pretender” category.

Verdict: Pretender