(Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
The 2025-26 NBA season is here! Over the next few weeks, we’re examining the biggest questions, best- and worst-case scenarios, and win projections for all 30 franchises — from the still-rebuilding teams to the true title contenders.
Record: 36-46 (tied for 11th in the West, missed playoffs)
Additions: Jrue Holiday, Damian Lillard, Yang Hansen
Subtractions: Deandre Ayton, Anfernee Simons
(Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
The Blazers have talent. Maybe not a boatload of it. But they have talent.
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They traded 26-year-old 20-point scorer Anfernee Simons for veteran Jrue Holiday, a two-time All-Star and maybe the best defensive guard of his generation, who they will pair with Scoot Henderson, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 draft, in their backcourt. Donovan Clingan looks like a legit center prospect. Jerami Grant is another veteran on the wing, where Deni Avdija is good and Toumani Camara is an All-Defensive performer. They bring Shaedon Sharpe off the bench. It is a team built for a superstar.
The question, then: Can Henderson be that guy? He suffered a hamstring tear during an offseason workout, which will prevent him from taking the floor for four to eight weeks, so any answers will have to wait. There was a brief moment in time — before we all thought better of it — that we mentioned Henderson in the same breath as Victor Wembanyama among the top prospects in their draft class. We thought that highly of the teenager with an NBA body. He is 21 years old now, entering his third season, still with plenty of time to find his footing in the league, but the time to step forward as a star is this season.
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The Blazers need to know if Henderson is that guy, because if he is not, this has all been for naught. Finding superstars is the name of the game in the NBA, like it or not, and Portland took its bite at the apple in 2023, continuing to put pieces around him that could ensure he turns into a superstar. They have built with his success at top of mind. So, if he is not that guy, they have to go in search of Him again.
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Henderson becomes eligible for an extension to his rookie contract at the end of this season. That is when the fun part of rebuilding ends and the financial aspect rears its ugly head. Someone is going to believe in Henderson enough to pay him, whether that is in Portland, where he could be a rising star, or elsewhere, where he may be an ongoing project. Decisions must be made. And this season is an audition.
It is all set up for him. The Blazers are in desperate need of an alpha who can carry the scoring and playmaking load on any given night, and that is precisely what Henderson was sold to us as. He has Holiday at his side. Damian Lillard, the prodigal son who returned to Portland, where he will spend this season rehabbing, will be in his ear, as will Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, the Hall of Fame point guard. This is backcourt royalty, all of whom should have Henderson’s success among their best interests.
Henderson’s performance to date has left plenty to be desired. He is consistently inconsistent to put it kindly. He has averaged 13.3 points a game over his first two seasons on below-average 40/34/79 shooting splits, committing 2.7 turnovers to his 5.1 assists. Maybe he will come up with a steal on defense. Henderson’s latest injury is certainly an obstacle in his way of finding the level of consistency he needs.
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[Get more Trail Blazers news: Portland team feed]
This is not what you want from your recent No. 3 overall pick — a prize in his draft — but there are enough signs of stardom to leave us tantalized. There were his 39 points in a mid-January start against the Brooklyn Nets. He posted a 21-5-11 off the bench against the Houston Rockets’ vaunted defense two games later. He dropped 30 points off the bench in an overtime loss to the New York Knicks in March.
The Blazers still believe in him. We should still believe in him. Whether or not we should believe in him as a 35-to-1 long shot to win the league’s Most Improved Player award this season is another matter entirely. How close he comes to that will determine how competitive the Blazers are in the Western Conference.
Henderson is the star the Blazers need him to be. Avdija, Clingan and Sharpe develop alongside him. Yang Hansen does, indeed, show flashes of his promise as the “Chinese Jokic.” Holiday is a stabilizing force. Maybe he and Grant fetch something on the trade market. Either way, Portland has its young core and enjoys its rise, which may include the pursuit of a play-in tournament berth.
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Henderson is not a prospect Portland prefers to build around. (Oh, man, what a killer that would be.) And there is the very real possibility that his pairing with Sharpe is one that can never yield high-end results. What, then, do the Blazers do? That they would have to figure out. Tank back to the bottom, where they can score another superstar prospect, or continue to build from the NBA’s lower middle quadrant. Neither is much fun.
Season opener: Oct. 22 vs. Minnesota
The West is legit. Once you start listing teams, it is hard to imagine the Blazers staying in the playoff hunt, and outside of that 35 wins will be hard to come by, even if they won 36 last season. Going under.
East: Atlanta Hawks • Boston Celtics • Brooklyn Nets • Charlotte Hornets • Chicago Bulls • Cleveland Cavaliers • Detroit Pistons • Indiana Pacers • Miami Heat • Milwaukee Bucks • New York Knicks • Orlando Magic • Philadelphia 76ers • Toronto Raptors • Washington Wizards
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West: Dallas Mavericks • Denver Nuggets • Golden State Warriors • Houston Rockets • Los Angeles Clippers • Los Angeles Lakers • Memphis Grizzlies • Minnesota Timberwolves • New Orleans Pelicans • Oklahoma City Thunder • Phoenix Suns • Portland Trail Blazers • Sacramento Kings • San Antonio Spurs • Utah Jazz
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