To win with Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers must embrace the youth

The Portland Trail Blazers have a shockingly bright young core and a discouragingly low ceiling for next season

In Summer League, the Blazers showed that they have a brighter young core than expected, even with seventh-overall pick Shaedon Sharpe precautionarily sidelined with a minor shoulder injury. Behind the inspired play of Trendon Watford and 57th-overall pick in the recent draft, Jabari Walker, Portland was able to secure their second Summer League Championship in five years.

While Watford proved that he’s made major strides in his game, particularly in terms of his perimeter shooting and ball control, Walker was the prospect that had fans glued to their televisions. He quickly and easily outplayed his draft position by dominating on both ends of the court with surprising two-way versatility. He impressed so much so that he had some well-respected analysts calling for him to be featured in a major way in the rotation next season:

Of course, he’s not likely to look nearly as effective in the NBA regular season as he did in Summer League, but regardless, it’s in the Blazers’ best interest, and Dame’s, that he and other key members of Portland’s young core get as much run as possible in the upcoming campaign.

After all, what’s the ceiling on a rotation that features Dame, Anfernee Simons, Nassir Little, Grant, Nurk, Josh Hart, Gary Payton II, Justise Winslow, and Drew Eubanks? Is that a title team, or even one that can secure a guaranteed playoff spot and homecourt advantage in the first round? Probably not with the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies, and Denver Nuggets all set to feature more talented and deeper rosters. That list doesn’t even include the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, or Sacramento Kings who could all be plenty competitive next season as well.

Why stash the young players in favor of more established but severely less exciting veterans when the ceiling on this team isn’t up there with the true title contenders? Instead, the Blazers could run out a bench unit that features Shaedon Sharpe, Hart, GPII, Jabari Walker, and Trendon Watford; one that will encounter plenty of valleys but could have peaks that tower over their veteran lineups.