Oct 22 2025 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
On Oct. 22, the Portland Trail Blazers will tip off their season at 7 p.m. when Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves travel to the Moda Center. Last season, the Blazers went 36-46, finishing 12th in the Western Conference. Without any further context, a 36-win season in the NBA is not considered successful by any means. However, it’s important to note that it was a significant improvement over the 21-61 record they put up in the 2023-24 season immediately after trading Damian Lillard. Lillard has since returned to the team, but will not return to the court until next season. The Blazers franchise was also recently sold to an ownership group led by Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon for a reported $4 billion after previous owner Paul Allen’s estate made the decision to sell over the summer, marking the start of a new era.
Before the season begins, here’s a run-down of what happened in the offseason and what kind of team the Blazers are projected to be this season.
Key additions — The Blazers started the off-season by trading point guard Anfernee Simons to the Boston Celtics in a straight swap for Jrue Holiday, also a point guard. The trade was met with mixed reactions by fans. They felt trading for Holiday was a step backwards, due to him being older than Simons as well as being on a more long-term contract, making it more difficult for the team to free up cap space if needed.
When looking deeper into the move, it can make a bit more sense when one considers that Simons’ skillset had become a bit redundant within the guard rotation as a score-first, undersized guard that struggled on defense, the exact archetype of player that the NBA has begun moving past in recent years. Simons also wasn’t providing much to the future of the team and was preventing young guard Scoot Henderson from receiving rotational minutes and valuable experience. In addition, pairing him with Shaedon Sharpe in the backcourt was simply giving up too much on the defensive side of the court. Bringing in a player like Holiday will better complement Sharpe’s skillset when they’re on the floor together, while providing the young players on the team with a mentor who’s won an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. The hope seems to be that Holiday can provide the same mentorship fans have seen Chris Paul provide in Oklahoma City, Phoenix and now San Antonio in recent seasons.
Aside from this move, the Blazers used the 16th pick of the NBA Draft to select Yang Hansen, a 7-foot-1-inch center from China who has drawn early comparisons to three-time MVP and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić. While that’s a high bar to reach, it makes a bit of sense. Like Jokić, Hansen can pass at a very high level for a center and initiate offensive sets from the high post, which can open up cutting lanes to the basket for the rest of the team. This ability is something that would fit well with an athletic guard pairing like Henderson and Sharpe. While fans shouldn’t expect Hansen to be an elite contributor immediately, nor should they expect him to one day become as good as Jokić, the unique and versatile skill set he provides could definitely get him there, which is an exciting prospect for Blazers fans. Fans should just take the time to understand that Jokić is widely considered the best player in the world at the moment, and that it’s a heavy expectation to place on a 20-year-old player that has yet to play his first meaningful NBA minutes.
What to be excited for — If Yang Hansen isn’t already exciting enough, then look toward the development of players such as Henderson, Sharpe, Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan and Toumani Camara. Camara has already established himself as one of the best defenders in the league, making the All-Defensive second team last season. Camara’s combination of athleticism and height makes him a valuable piece defensively, as he can guard almost anyone without being physically outmatched, giving the Blazers significant flexibility in their defensive game plans.
Second-year center Donovan Clingan averaged 1.6 blocks per game last season, putting him at ninth place among all players in the category. It’s even more impressive when considering that he spent most of the year not getting many minutes due to the presence of Deandre Ayton — who is no longer on the team — and had a bit of an adjustment period to the toll a long NBA season can take on a young player. When adjusting his statistics to a per-36-minute basis, his block numbers jump up to three per game, which would’ve put him in second place in the category last season, only behind Spurs center Victor Wembanyama. Expect Clingan to take a step forward, as well as hopefully have a more developed offensive game and outside shooting ability to open up lanes for players driving to the basket. If Clingan can cement himself as an elite rim protector alongside the perimeter defense that Camara provides, the Blazers could easily become one of the best defensive units in the league.
Fans should also pay close attention to Henderson, who has been a bit inconsistent to start his career. In a way, this could be a bit of a make-or-break season for Henderson with the imminent return of Lillard next season. If he’s unable to show a step toward being the player Portland had hoped for when he was drafted in 2023, it’ll be interesting to see what decisions are made with the rotation next season and if Henderson will remain with the team. He’ll also be entering the final year of his rookie contract next season, which is where extension talks typically begin.
As for Sharpe and Avdija, look for both of them to take another step toward potentially becoming All-Stars. Sharpe has increased his scoring output each season since entering the league, and Avdija set a new career high in points per game last season after being acquired in a trade with the Washington Wizards. With both players under the age of 25, there is still a lot of room for both of them to grow into All-Star caliber players. In Sharpe’s case, hopefully, viewers see him increase his aggression on the offensive end, where he’s best. He’s had a noted tendency of being a bit passive and not taking over a game like he’s capable of doing. With Simons no longer in the mix, perhaps that will empower him to take a more active approach regularly and allow him to unleash his full potential.
What to expect — So with all of this in mind, what can fans expect from the Blazers this season? With a team this young, it’s hard to really know. Development in the NBA is not always the upward curve fans would like it to be, but the Blazers seem to have established an energetic culture with a young core they can build with. A valid concern about the team would be the lack of three-point shooting — they went 26th/30 in 3pt% last year, according to NBA.com — and the fact that there weren’t any significant upgrades to the roster in that department.
The defense projects to get better with the expectation that Camara and Clingan improve, plus the addition of Jrue Holiday, but will the offense follow? The leader in made threes per game was Simons, who is now a Celtic, so in order for the Blazers to make the improvement, they’ll need to see better and more consistent shooting in order to open up the floor and allow players like Sharpe and Henderson to do what they do best, which is attack the basket.
Overall, this Blazers team has a lot going for it and a lot of good for fans to be excited about. However, there is also a lot of uncertainty, and a lot of the positives listed here are a bit hypothetical and dependent on players getting to the next level. Player development is rarely a direct climb up the mountain; there are usually inclines and declines along the way. To make a prediction, they’ll go 39-43 and will be right in the mix for the 10th seed in the Western Conference, which would earn them a spot in the play-in. The Western Conference is crowded, however, and the Blazers might just get frozen out of a spot again this season. As frustrating as that would be, it’s important that the franchise and its fans stay patient and remember: Lillard will be playing at the Moda Center again soon.
Contact the author at howlsports@mail.wou.edu
