The Portland Trail Blazers are officially in rebuild mode with a max player on their roster. It’s a rare thing to see in the past days of the NBA but with all the new influx of money headed to teams in the next few seasons, the Blazers might be a trend setter.
What they have with their new max man in Damian Lillard, as a leader, is relatively unknown. We do know what kind of skills he possess on the court, his ability to finish at the rim, knock down open shots and command the court as the floor general but can he be the man for Portland? For so long, it was LaMarcus Aldridge or Wesley Matthews who were viewed as the silent but stout leaders of the Blazers locker room but can Damian step up?
The Blazers lost four of their five starters from last year including Aldridge going to the San Antonio Spurs, Matthews off to the Dallas Mavericks, Nicolas Batum was traded to the Charlotte Hornets and Robin Lopez, along with sixth man Arron Afflalo, went to the New York Knicks. It’s Damian’s team now, so what can we expect from him?
From Lillard himself? Anticipate some crazy numbers. There’s a big possibility he could lead the league in points per game and he could possibly get the All-Star recognition he’s deserved over the last few seasons but the cast around him will be strange.
An expected Blazers starting lineup of Lillard, Gerald Henderson, Al-Farouq Aminu, Ed Davis and Mason Plumlee is a nice little squad but in the NBA’s powerhouse known as the Western Conference, it will not be anywhere near enough to contend for a playoff spot.
They’ve added a lot of youth with Plumlee, in Noah Vonleh, who they acquired in the Batum deal, Mo Harkless, and brought in rookies Pat Connaughton and Cliff Alexander while also retaining young players like C.J. McCollum, Meyers Leonard, Tim Frazier and Allen Crabbe but it won’t be enough. Expect the Portland Trail Blazers to be in contention for a lottery pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
