NBA Power Rankings: Is the Golden State Warriors dynasty dead?

29. Portland Trail Blazers

On paper, there is a lot to like about the Portland Trail Blazers as they begin to move past the Damian Lillard era. They’re officially handing over the reins to Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson, and Shaedon Sharpe. They also added Deandre Ayton as part of the Lillard deal. In short, this is a team that has a ton of potential over the next few years. Whether or not they’re able to reach their potential or not will rely on the individual development of their young players.

Heading into this season, while it’s far from a foregone conclusion that the Blazers will be any kind of good, there is hope they can be exciting. Henderson is going to be on the shortlist of players that could give Victor Wembanyama the run for his money when it comes to the race to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award and a fresh start could do wonders for Ayton.

In two years, we could be talking about the Blazers as one of the most talented young teams in the league. Right now, though, there’s likely going to be some growing pains and dark days with Lillard moving on.