Portland Trail Blazers: Ranking projected NBA starting lineups part 3
By Andy Quach
The Portland Trail Blazers are less than two weeks away from their 2021-2022 season debut against the Sacramento Kings. We’ve already established that the Kings have the 24th best squad out of all NBA starting lineups and a surprisingly solid bench that placed 15th in my previous pieces.
The Blazers bench has been noted to be more complete and well-balanced than in recent years past, ranking just ahead of the Kings at 14th. Portland’s projected reserve unit of Anfernee Simons, Tony Snell, Nassir Little, Larry Nance Jr., and Cody Zeller should offer a reliable reprieve for their starters when they need a breath, even in the playoffs, a luxury that the Blazers haven’t had in a few seasons.
With a bench placing in the upper half of the league and a starting lineup that is at least in the top-10, Portland has a puncher’s chance to reach the NBA Finals.
The Portland Trail Blazers are expected to have one of the best starting lineups in the NBA next season
The league is riddled with talent at this moment and the title chase this year should be a bloodbath between various juggernauts.
It’s well-known that the Blazers starters finished fourth overall in net efficiency as a unit. How they’ll hold up through the course of an entire season under new Head Coach Chauncey Billups is yet to be seen. Based on talent alone, though, Portland should perform and place as a top-10 team.
The following clubs have the most well-rounded and potentially devastating collections of players starting for them. Here’s how the hierarchy should be broken down: