The Portland Trail Blazers are not often mentioned by national writers anticipating the start of the 2025-26 NBA season. Hanging out at the “just below mediocre” line for a couple of years, the Blazers are generally afterthoughts in any serious discussion of the Western Conference standings.
In the absence of notice from four-letter networks and Sirius/XM shows, Brian Toporek of Fansided steps to the plate, musing that the Blazers could be one of the most underrated, overlooked teams in the Association.
Holding back on praise is somewhat natural given Portland’s offseason moves. Toporek admits this off the bat:
Some skepticism of the Blazers’ late-season surge is fair. They wouldn’t be the first team to finish strong in Mickey Mouse March, only to falter once more teams begin putting their best foot forward at the beginning of the next year. A majority of their wins after the All-Star break came against tanking teams such as the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets. They might not be ready for prime time quite yet.
The Blazers also suffered two key personnel losses this offseason. They bought out starting center Deandre Ayton and traded starting 2-guard Anfernee Simons to the Boston Celtics, which means they’ll need to replace 40% of their starting lineup this year.
Immediately afterwards, however, Toporek got bullish on the summer acquisition of veteran guard Jrue Holiday, for secondary effects if nothing else:
Since Holiday won’t be soaking up as many offensive touches as Simons did, the loss of Simons should force Henderson and Sharpe into even larger roles. Henderson in particular is heading into a critical year, as he becomes extension-eligible next offseason and will want to convince the Blazers that he’s worthy of a hefty long-term investment. The jury was out in that regard after he shot only 38.5% overall and 32.5% as a rookie, but he showed more of the flashes last season that convinced the Blazers to take him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft.
The author also spends words on the growth of Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan in Portland uniforms. Then, taking a “smoke equals fire” approach to the sheer number of potential leaps forward inherent in Portland’s roster, he finishes with a bold prediction:
If Henderson, Sharpe and/or Clingan take a leap and Holiday helps bolster the Blazers’ defense, their 33.5 preseason win total could look comical in retrospect.
It may not be Charles Barkley and Kenny “The Jet” Smith, but a few kind and hopeful words about Portland’s prospects next season are probably balm to a Blazers fan base otherwise inundated with questions, skepticism, or sheer silence on a national level.
