Ranking the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2022 Western Conference
The Portland Trail Blazers have 13 players under contract and are now just under two months away from the start of the 2022 season. Though their team is much the same as the 2021 version, this Blazers team will still be competitive during the regular season.
They may not have the wings or frontcourt that are required for the playoffs, but the Blazers have a team that can win in the regular season, even in the stacked West.
Let’s rank the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2022 Western Conference
Bottom five West teams
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets, after trading James Harden at the start of the 2021 season, are firmly in tank and rebuild mode for the 2022 season. They have an exciting young core with Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr, and their three other first-round picks from this draft, but this is a Rockets team that will be in the bottom few spots of the West.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Similar to their longtime contending rivals the Rockets, the Oklahoma City Thunder have now officially been tanking for an entire season. They have two centerpieces to build around in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey and other young studs in Darius Bazley and Theo Maledon.
With one of the youngest cores in the league and just the one proven player in Shai, they will likely be rooted to the bottom of the table in the West.
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings now have a trio of exciting guards in De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell. But, considering their age and the lack of a true All-Star or All-NBA player on the team, they will be sitting in the bottom tier of the West until one of the above three puts their hand up for higher honors.
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs seem to be embracing a rebuild for the first time in two decades after letting free agent DeMar DeRozan walk in a sign and trade with the Chicago Bulls. They have some exciting young pieces in Devin Vassell, Dejounte Murray and Lonnie Walker, but they are probably at least a season or two away from contending for the playoffs in the West.
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans are definitely the best team of the five in this bottom tier, but they still haven’t truly surrounded superstar Zion Williamson with the talent that will help him succeed.
New signing Devonte Graham is a good start, but the lack of defensive pieces now that Lonzo Ball is on the Chicago Bulls, means that they will likely be a sieve on the opposite end. They are a fringe playoff team at best.