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Portland Trail Blazers: Projecting playoff seeding for entire Western Conference

By Carson Brown

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 21: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans fight for position during a game on December 21, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 21: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans fight for position during a game on December 21, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers Damian Lillard CJ McCollum Jusuf Nurkic (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Portland Trail Blazers: 3rd Seed

The Trail Blazers have made a tradition out of exceeding their preseason expectations and it’s fun to watch every year. Earning the third seed in the Western Conference for the second straight year came with a deep playoff run that saw the first trip to the Western Conference for the Trail Blazers in nearly twenty years. The core remains intact for the Blazers.

Damian Lillard has created a  for certain level of high expectations for himself that his game will improve annually. Another incredible year was put into the history books for Lillard and more advancement is expected to come. The 2019-20 season really feels like the MVP award is Lillard’s for the taking. His offensive arsenal is a nightmare for whoever is giving the task of keeping him in check.

CJ McCollum had an unforgettable playoff run where we saw him making highlight plays on repeat against the Denver Nuggets in what was a crucial series for the Blazers against their divisional rival. Along with Lillard, McCollum also has a nasty offensive repertoire including one of the smoothest mid-range jumpers in the game which has him poised to prevail himself into the all star game for the first time in his career.

This roster is somewhat revamped with the addition of solid role players in Hassan Whiteside, Kent Bazemore and Mario Hezonja but the core group remains the same. Some people have prematurely given up on Hassan Whiteside, but this year is the year we see his career turn back in the right direction. Miami was never a great fit for Whiteside yet he still had some exceptional seasons in South Beach.

The highly anticipated return of the Jusuf Nurkic will have the Trail Blazers and their fanbase fired up for the day he returns to action. Its going to take time for the Bosnian big man to get back into the swing of NBA basketball, but when he does the rest of the league needs to watch out for the potential this roster has.

A key piece to this journey extending into early June is on the back of Zach Collins. The role of Collins Is about to much greater with the Nurkic injury and the departure of Meyers Leonard and Enes Kanter. Collins will see a major minutes increase and he’s going to take advantage of it. The leap year is now for Collins who has showcased is ability to score on the block and in the mid-range.

The emergence of Rodney Hood is also now. He was electrifying for the Trail Blazers at times in the playoffs and should be someone the Blazers can lean on when points are at a standstill. This Trail Blazers team is more than armed to put together a fifty win season and land somewhere in the top of the crowded Western Conference.