Last season, the Portland Trail Blazers finished 13th in the western conference, with a losing record of 27 wins and 55 losses. They were led by their star Damian Lillard, who was averaging about 24 points and 7 assists per game. Unfortunately, his season was cut short due to an abdominal injury that led to him missing the remainder of the 2021-2 season. He recently signed a 2-year extension worth 225 million dollars. However, he is expected to return next season.

However, looking into the upcoming season, the Blazers have made a few changes to their roster. A notable pickup for the Blazers is Gary Payton ll, who was signed as a free agent. He was a decent role player for the Warriors during their recent championship run and averaged about 7 points and 3 rebounds per game. He is known for his skills on the defensive end, much like his father. In the second round of the draft, they picked Colorado forward Jabari Walker, who was selected at the 57th pick. He played college basketball at Colorado where he averaged about 14 points 9 rebounds and 1 assist per game. Veteran big man Jusuf Nurkic was re-signed, and agreed to a 4-year, 70 million dollar deal. Last season he averaged about 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. He is currently playing in the FIBA World Cup for Bosnia. Another notable player that the Blazers acquired is Jerami Grant from the pistons. Last season he averaged about 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. 

For next season, a player that I think will step up and take on the scoring load is Anfernee Simons. Last season, he led the team in total points scored with 988. He also averaged about 17 points per game last season, which was the second highest on the team, under Damian Lillard. He is a very efficient three-point shooter, who shot 40% from beyond the arch. In his best performance last season, he had 38 points and went 9/17 from three, in a loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He is Going to be a key contributor to this team next season. 

Another player that will lead the way for the Blazers is Josh Hart. He was acquired from New Orleans for CJ McCollum last season. Who averaged about 15 points per game, which was the third highest on the team. He also averaged about 4 assists per game, which is the fourth highest on the team. In his best game last season which was against the wizards he had a career-high, 44 points, and shot 6-9 from three with about a 71 percent field goal percentage.

Going back to the roster, they haven’t made any significant changes. Although a couple of new players have been added, it doesn’t seem like they’re going to make much of an improvement. If you compare their roster from last year to today you can make the argument that the 2021-22 roster was better than it is now. They will play their season opener on October 9th, against the Sacramento Kings. The last time the two teams played, the Blazers won, with the score being 88-103, and Anfernee Simons leading the way, with 31 points.