Welcome in to the first of a series of seven questions we asked some of the Blazers Edge staff about this upcoming season. It’s been awhile since we’ve held a roundtable discussion, and thought it would be fun to get multiple perspectives voiced into a single place. Over the next week, we’ll pose a question each day and welcome you to join us with your thoughts in the comments.
With the preseason officially kicking off tonight for the Portland Trail Blazers, let’s dive in with our first question.
Will the Blazers gel quickly and surprise the league with a hot start, or will they have extended growing pains during the first third of the season?
Josh Fisher: Growing pains or not, the biggest enemy to Blazers’ early season success is the schedule. I have a hunch that the Thunder and Spurs are going to be good and they represent three of the first eleven games. The first one-third of the season, the Blazers have a four-game road trip and two six-game road trips, one of them smack dab in the middle of the holidays. Getting off to a hot start feels like asking a lot.
Adrian Bernecich: However the season ends, the Blazers will lose winnable games early in the campaign. The backcourt is unorthodox and the odds favor a degree of messiness, at least early on.
Max Contract: I have the Blazers at 17-14 at the end of the calendar year. I prefer early in the season big road trips for two reasons. First, many teams went through major off season changes (like Portland), and will be trying to figure themselves out. You can steal road games because of this. Also, teams generally bond tighter on the road with travel and spending more time together. Having that opportunity for developing chemistry early in the season, could pay dividends going into 2027.
Kevin Lawler: I have concerns about how this team fits together and it will take some time to sort out rotations, closing lineups, and ballhandling responsibilities. The Blazers open with games against Phoenix, Sacramento, the Lakers, Memphis, and Utah in October. November will present a tougher test: Denver, the Lakers, San Antonio twice, Oklahoma City twice, Minnesota twice and visits to the defending champion Knicks and new-look 76ers. I hope I’m wrong, but I have a hard time seeing the Blazers surprising the league over the season’s first few months.
Paul Navarre: They’ll come out neither hot or cold, but will tread water through a tough, road-heavy November, and that’s kind of a win. This team can put points on the board, so a leaky defense may not matter as much as some think. While other teams are still figuring things out, pure scorers like Dame, Ja and Deni can make the difference. I’m not expecting miracles, especially if Dame’s minutes are managed, but a .500 November would raise a few eyebrows.
BE Community: What do you think? Will the Blazers come out as an offensive juggernaut and shock teams, or will they still be working out the kinks? How will they stack up against some of the contenders they face in the early going? Will the defense hold serve or look rickety?
Let us know how you think the Blazers start out the season.
