What would a Portland Trail Blazers reset look like?
The Portland Trail Blazers have been a consistent playoff threat during the Damian Lillard era. Consistently over 40 wins (with three 50-win seasons) to top it off, the Blazers have been one of the models of consistent success in the NBA. The Blazers even seemed to be on the verge of a potential breakthrough after a surprising run to the Western Conference Finals last season. Then, this season happened.
This Blazers’ season has been a monumental let down after many thought the team would build on its playoff run from last season. They currently sit 9th in the Western Conference with a putrid 29-37 record. Key injuries to key players such as Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins set the team’s talent back and then step backs across the roster began to show.
The Portland offense that was ranked 3rd in the league last season dropped to 10th this season, even worse than that the Blazer’s 16th ranked defense has plummeted all the way to 27th.
With a season as hyped as this one was in Portland going so wrong, you’d have to wonder what the immediate future holds for the team.
Is a healthy Blazers lineup enough to actually compete with the likes of the Lakers and Clippers in a tough Western Conference? Is a team that’s reliant on a Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum backcourt strong enough to ever win?
With all those questions coming out now, it is safe to amuse if the Trail Blazers don’t show something in Orlando then a potential reset could be on the horizon in Portland. Which then leads to the biggest question of them all, what would a reset look like for Portland?